Flag Up

At 10:30 AM on June 29, 2008 the national flag and the ‘E’ Pennant were reinstalled in their rightful places atop the flagpole on Clinton Engines front East lawn. The men who raised them were Eagle Scout candidate, Alan Buttars of DeWitt, Clinton County who steered and worked on the project, friend Peter Trainor of Eldridge, an Eagle Scout and project volunteer, Brendon Butler, a boy scout from Elwood, IA. Speakers at this short ceremony were Maquoketa Mayor Tom Messerli, Former Clinton Vice President, Don McDonald, Scoutmaster Paul Trainor of Eldridge, and Alan Buttars who directed and built the flag pole project. This was a major accomplishment for this fine young man. Also in attendance were State Senator Roger Stewart, State Representative Tom Schueller, and Bob and Dave Stockham, the 2nd and 3rd generations of G.L. Stockham & Son to handle Clinton Engines construction projects. Above left shows the flags hoisted nicely but then (above right) God took over and produced truly high flying flags. Guess that means Mr. Buttars has good connections. Couldn’t have been better weather.




		Tons of concrete, superior pole and hardware, great design, gorgeous artistry, and some creative and skillful gardening combined for a monument for the ages. Scout Alan Buttars and Master Gardener Lee Karabin turned dirt into gold.




	The crowd gathers. Some of more than 130 people who attended the modest flag raising ceremony. But there was a lot of sentiment in the air when the flag and pennant were raised for other generations who otherwise would not have known about the wonderful lifetime of creativity, industry, and achievement of their ancestors and family members.


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