Your questions about Nordic Fest flags answered

Mr. Answer Person on Thursday posted the following message from a reader: 
"Can something be done to fix the (Nordic Fest) flags so they look nice?  It really does not seem it would be that hard to do something to make the flags hang straight....it is SHAMEFUL to see the way the flags do hang.  It seems to me there has got to be a way to FIX those flags on a permanent basis--either sew a dowel in the bottom of ALL the flags to keep them straight or use some kind of weights.  In Decorah in the 60s& 70s there was a small weight of some kind on the bottom corners of the flags to keep them straight but over the years & with weather those came off and the flags got replaced with new ones due to fading or tears in them from the wind, so there has never been anything done to FIX them so they look proper & respectful to each country they are flying for."

Mr. Answer Person called on decorahnews.com readers to send in their suggestions.  They've come through!---

Roz e-mails: "How about having two parallel wires to which the flags can be attached?  The top of flag can be attached to the wire, as currently is done.  But have the bottom of each flag attached to a second wire below the first wire, and parallel to the first wire.  The distance between the two wires should be the length of the flag(s)."

John e-mails: "This is not a difficult question to solve.  There are "outdoor" flags that are specifically manufactured to be hanged in a horizontal position.  They are weighted in such a way to prevent entanglement, however it would seem as expensive as good quality outdoor flags are, exposing them to the wind, rain, and sun two weeks prior to the event and several weeks afterward, may not the best fiscal policy."

Nancy e-mails: At one time when I was a Nordic Fest Board member, I thought we had heavy rods put length-wise down the middle of the flag and that seemed to keep them hanging straight down.  I'm sure this would add and expense to having the flags made in order to conceal the weighted rod.  Maybe a local seamstress would be willing to take on the task of sewing in the rods?  Thanks for trying to encourage someone to tackle the problem."

But Nordic Fest Parade Chair and Past President Sue Sander has the authoritative answers:
 
1. The Decorah Street Department has nothing to do with putting the flags up that fly over Water Street.  The flags are put up every year by the kind donation of time and use of equipment by Bob Evenson and his employer, Alliant Energy
 
2. After the flags had been hung this year it was then told that through the generosity of Jill Amdahl she had taken the time and had sewn  pockets on the flags after last year's Fest for either lathe or plexi-glass strips to be inserted so the flags wouldn't twist.  My compliments to Jill for the super job she did with the sewing project as during the handling of the flags I couldn't even tell pockets had been sewn on--she did a marvelous job of matching fabrics.
 
3. Having helped with the hanging of the Fest flags for the past eight years, had we been informed that the pockets had been done prior to 6:00 a.m. on Monday (that's when the flags were hung) the situation would have been remedied, but when we have volunteers and equipment ready to assist it's hard to expect them to come back at another time.
 
4. Next year the flags will be hanging straight, I promise!
 
5. And to all the readers of decorahnews.com, please now take time and consider being a volunteer board member for Nordic Fest. We are in need of people as the Fest continues to grow and we as board members truly need volunteers to step up to the plate and assist. If the citizens of Decorah want Nordic Fest to continue to showcase this wonderful event, help is needed, so step up and let us know how you are willing to help.
 
Thank you and Happy Festing"

Mr. Answer Person says: I was given incorrect information that the Decorah Street Department hung the flags--sorry for not double-checking this fact.  Thank you to Sue Sander and to Jill Amdahl for their volunteer work on this project.  As Mr. Answer Person noted, each year we get letters from some readers complaining about the way the flags that are hung over Water Street during Nordic Fest are displayed.  So it might seem like this is a minor issue, but sewing  pockets on the flags will be noticed by A LOT of people.  Glad the situation is changing next year.