NEW FLAG AT FAIRGROUNDS

BIG COLORS – Kim McNeil, caretaker of the Sanders County Fairgrounds, uses a drill to raise the new 20x38-foot U.S. flag. Cliff Stephens volunteered his help, along with Mike Hashisaki, the former fair manager, and Bob Bunch. The men also replaced all five military service flags that surround the American flag last week. The Sanders County Fair Foundation, a nonprofit organization, pays for the flags' replacement, which cost nearly $800 for the U.S. flag and about $125 for each military flag. The American flag weighs about 50 pounds and took nearly an hour to take down the old one and replace it with the new flag. The old flag is normally dissected in preparation for retirement, which is usually done by fire at an annual ceremony at the VFW in December. The Fair Foundation has been purchasing new flags for about 30 years.