June 14, 2023 By Carol Britton Meyer
Hingham’s 50 Flags Campaign closes @6PM next Tuesday – June 20th!
The 50 Flags Campaign — the top fundraiser for the Fourth of July parade — is underway, for the 11th consecutive year.
The flags, which will be available through June 20, are a real boost to community spirit leading up to the parade and surrounding events.
Hundreds of flags will soon be waving all around town in a show of patriotism and support for the parade — a compelling sight.
A $100 donation pays for 50 flags, or $65 for 25 — 20,000 flags are available. Residents and businesses are invited to make a reservation now.
The flag installations are for two weeks, starting the weekend of June 24 and 25. The flags will be removed the weekend of July 8 and 9.
To kick off this major fundraiser, Fourth of July Parade Committee member Tom Hoffman will be joined by other volunteers on Thursday, May 25, starting at 3:30 p.m. to place a field of 388 flags in front of Town Hall. “This number matches the 388 years since Hingham was founded,” he told the Hingham Anchor.
The funds to pay for the parade — at an annual cost of $55,000 — come from the 50 flags campaign, the sale of Fourth of July parade buttons (the Rotary Club plays a major role in this activity), sponsorships, and donations. No taxpayer dollars are used to fund this traditional event.
Since the campaign is very labor intensive, the parade committee relies on volunteers from the Hingham High School sports teams: football, soccer, field hockey, track, crew, baseball, tennis, hockey and lacrosse. South Shore SNAP, Hingham Youth Football, and citizens also help install and remove the flags.
Eighty percent of gross proceeds from the community’s generous flag rental donations will go toward growing the flag inventory, while funding the 2023 Fourth of July Parade. The balance will go to the volunteer youth groups that complete the installation and removal of the flags — $5,600 in 2022.
Co-chairs with Hoffman for the 50 Flags Campaign are Erin McGourty and Susan Rizzo, who are all members of the parade committee.
To order flags and for further information, go to https://www.hingham-ma.gov/.