Trenton, Maine is Flagtown, USA

June 14 was Flag Day, but every day from just before Memorial Day to Labor Day is Flag Day in Trenton Maine.

If you have driven through Trenton, chances are you'll never lose sight of an American flag on the major roads as you head to Bar Harbor or Ellsworth.

I spoke with Carroll Leland back in 2019 and again today, June 17,, and he gave me a brief history of the flags in Trenton.

According to Carroll, there were 65 flags initially put up in 2006. Galen Cole donated $1,000, and the Trenton Chamber of Commerce and Town of Trenton each matched that initial donation. Nowadays the Trenton Chamber of Commerce budgets $3,000 annually for the flag program, with the Town of Trenton reimbursing the Chamber $3,000. Last year the Town of Trenton gave the Chamber $5,000 and all the flags are now new, having been replaced in either 2023 or this year.

Flags are put up by Memorial Day, and it normally takes Carroll 4 to 5 days to put up the flags. The other day after a heavy windstorm he was out driving the roads, replacing poles that were bent, flags that had fallen, etc. and the process took him the better part of the morning. Flags start coming down after Labor Day because of the winds, with the rest coming down after Columbus Day.

Carroll's wife, Gail,  used to sew and repair all the flags, but she sadly passed away on January 30, 2024, after battling cancer. Carroll and Gail were married for 47 years.

Now the question that I'm sure you've wondered... Exactly how many flags are up on the poles in Trenton? Well in 2019 the answer was 164 but since then flags have been added on the Goose Cove Road and other roads, and the GRAND TOTAL is 226.

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