Lower Burrell veterans seek missing flags ripped from poles in microburst

Most Lower Burrell residents know all too well the snapped trees, downed power lines and other destruction caused by a June 22 microburst.

American flags lining Leechburg Road also took a hit during the storm as high winds, ranging from 58 mph to 65 mph, according to the National Weather Service, ripped some from their poles and broke some of the flagpoles.

“We don’t know if people picked them up or what happened to some of them,” said Ed Zollinger, commander of American Legion Post 868 in Lower Burrell.

During holidays, the Legion mounts the 3-by-5-foot flags, which are supplied by the Lower Burrell Lions Club, on 12-foot poles in designated holders in the sidewalk along Leechburg Road from Craigdell Road to the Route 56 bypass.

The Legion kept up the flags after Flag Day, June 14, for the July 4th holiday. But the microburst intervened.

The Legion hung 80 flags and lost 13 during the storm, said Post 868 trustee, Hal Beatty, who is spearheading the flag recovery effort.

“We want to find as many flags and poles as we can before we have to buy them,” Beatty said.

Replacement costs for a single flag and pole can range from $125 to $150.

The flags are part of the Lower Burrell Lions Club flag program, which has operated in the city since 1950, said Henry Kedzierski, president of the club.

The nonprofit has been displaying American flags for every major holiday in the city. However, the Lions’ membership is aging, so the group is working with the American Legion to get the flags.

“The arrangement has worked out beautifully,” Kedzierski said.

The Legion has an auxiliary of younger members who are excited to put up the flags.

The group is looking for vendors to provide replacements for flagpoles damaged by the storm and normal wear-and-tear, as well as donations to purchase more flags.

To donate or help with the program, contact Kedzierski at 412-726-4466 or mail a check noting the donation to the flag program to the Lower Burrell Lions Club, P.O. Box 2418, Lower Burrell, PA 15068.