New pavilion expands Avenue of Flags mission
FOX23 News at 9 p.m
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) — The Avenue of Flags welcomed 21 new veterans Saturday during its annual dedication ceremony, bringing the total number of flags honoring local service members to 1,021.
The ceremony also marked the first held at the organization’s new pavilion, where veterans’ families gathered to share stories of their loved ones before each flag was officially dedicated.
The Avenue of Flags displays American flags during patriotic holidays, with each flag representing a local veteran. During the ceremony, family members spoke about the lives, service and legacies of those being honored as Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy dedicated each flag to its family.
“I welcome you to this fabulous pavilion that we’ve got,” Tracy told the crowd. “The building is fantastic, but it’s really all of you people that are here today that make it what it is.”
The new pavilion was built through a partnership between the Avenue of Flags and VFW Post 3838. According to Avenue of Flags Chairman and retired U.S. Navy Capt. David Cantrell, the organization had outgrown its previous ceremony space.
“We needed more space for more flags, and we needed a place where we could have a ceremony and be out of the sun, have a restroom and a better speaker system and lights and everything else,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell said organizers wanted the pavilion to be more than just another building.
“We didn’t want just any pavilion,” he said. “We wanted a very, very special pavilion because the Avenue of Flags is a special program.”
The project was funded through grants matched by approximately $150,000 raised by the organization. The pavilion includes public restrooms, a commercial cooking area, storage space and other amenities designed to support both memorial ceremonies and community events throughout the year.
Its location was also intentional, Cantrell said, giving the Avenue of Flags a visible presence from the roadway even when the flags are not displayed.
Inside the pavilion, marble benches recognize Cantrell and Tracy for their service to the community and country.
Cantrell said the dedication ceremony is about more than recognizing veterans. It also honors the sacrifices made by military families.
“It’s not just the veteran who serves and sacrifices,” Cantrell said. “The families do as well.”
Drawing from his own military career, Cantrell said deployments meant missing recitals, ball games, parent-teacher conferences and countless milestones with his family.
“So this is as much for the families as it is for the veteran,” he said.
As each of the 21 new flags was presented, families reflected on the lives of their loved ones, ensuring their stories will continue to be remembered each time the flags are raised above the Avenue of Flags.
