Firefighters leading effort to replace Monessen flags

By eric seiverling

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

When Monessen Fire Dept. No. 1 members noticed the flags that adorn Monessen city streets during various holidays throughout the year were starting to look worn and ragged, they decided to do something about it.

Monessen Fire Dept. No. 1 firefighters and cousins Mikayla Speck and Marley Evans have been calling on businesses seeking donations to fund the purchase of about 50 new flags, which represents half of the current crop of flags adorning the city during Veterans Day weekend.

“We’ll replace what we can and try again next year,” Speck said.

The tradition of displaying the flags, which line Donner and Schoonmaker avenues and First through Eighth streets, was originally handled by the Monessen Boy Scouts.

The flags were installed during Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day and stayed in place for two days before being taken down and put in storage until the next holiday.

But when the scouting troop was eliminated a few years ago, Monessen Fire Dept. No. 1 stepped up to keep the flags flying.

“The flags are really old and are pretty worn out,” said Speck, a five-year veteran of the fire department. “We also have to order new poles because the new flags won’t match the old poles.”

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