Flags to keep waving with help of veterans

When the wind roars down the Minneota business district, the American flags that are displayed often get torn as they whip back and forth, or get wound around the poles they hang from.
So the local veterans have been showing their pride in the flags by adding new brackets on the 30 local flags that are display during holidays.
"Some of our wives will sew the flags or we have to replace them," said Ed Lozinski of Minneota-Taunton VFW Post 5334. "The brackets help a lot."
Jack Jerzak recently came across some swinging brackets in the New London-Spicer area that allow for the flags to glide around the pole, reducing wear and tear on the flag while also allowing it to be fully displayed at all times instead of getting all wrapped up on windy days.
When some VFW members checked the cost of the brackets, they figured it would be less expensive to make them rather than buy them.The veterans are currently working on removing the flags from the wooden poles at the VFW Hall on Jefferson Street and then attaching them to brackets that they are constructing out of PCV piping.
The group estimates that each bracket cost them around $10, but would have been at least twice that had they purchased the brackets. And the parts they are using to make their own brackets have been purchased locally.
Holes are drilled into the piping, which is then attached to the pole. Zipties are used to affix the flags to the PVC brackets.
Leave it to the veterans to come up with a better way to keep an American flag from harm's way.
"Hopefully, we won't have to keep sewing and replacing the flags," said Jerzak.
The flags are usually put on display around town on Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Flag Day and Veterans Day.
"We didn't get them up on Presidents Day this year because the weather was so windy and cold that day. I'm sure Abe Lincoln didn't mind, though,” Lozinski said with a laugh.