Located in the small city of Dallas, Polk County, Ore., the Carl B. Fenton American Legion Post 20 serves a community of about 16,000 people. In 1991, the post wanted to honor the veterans who served our country. Our local Avenue of Flags was birthed from this desire and on Memorial Day, May 27, 1991, we proudly displayed 65 flags in honor of our local fallen heroes. With more veterans' families sponsoring flags each year, the display has grown to a dazzling 838 flags that are 5 feet by 8 feet and displayed on 15-foot poles lining the road at the Dallas Cemetery. The flags are displayed from the Thursday before Memorial Day until the Thursday following Memorial Day each year.
Planning for this event begins in January and culminates in late May with over 60 volunteers from the American Legion Post 20 and its Auxiliary and Riders, VFW Post 3203, Dallas Fire & EMS, Dallas City Police, Oregon Army National Guard, Scouts of America Troop 288 and community members.
The Memorial Day ceremony is an hour long and consists of several speakers. This year, we featured the local VFW high school Voice of Democracy winner, Saige Jones, local city councilman and retired Army Master Sergeant Carlos Barrientos and local Gold Star father, Kevin Wiens. Eagle Scout Adam Timmerman played taps, and the Dallas High School Choir sang the national anthem and "America the Beautiful." Our Master of Ceremonies was Rod Moore, the Oregon American Legion Riders Director. Our Post 20 color guard posted the service flags. The Scouts of America hoisted the flag and performed the flag-folding ceremony as the significance of each fold was narrated. The event boasted a record crowd of over 350 people.
Local residents look forward to this event each year. People drive from all over the Northwest to view our impressive flag display, which is one of the largest public Avenue of Flags displays west of the Mississippi. Each flag has a fallen warrior's name attached to the pole. This is a chance for family members to honor their loved ones, since many do not have burial plots and stones.
Most do not realize the amount of planning and work that goes into putting on an event like this. However, we don't do this for the accolades. We do it to honor our fallen warriors and the families that participate in honoring these brave heroes that have preserved our way of life!

Shaun Davis
American Legion Post 20 Chaplain
Avenue of Flags Coordinator