Fergus Falls expands Veterans Walk of Flags for Memorial Day

A new row of flags on the south side of East Summit Avenue gave Fergus Falls’ Veterans Walk of Flags a larger footprint this Memorial Day, turning a busy corridor into a more visible tribute to veterans, service members and their families. The display is now expected to reach its practical limit at 1,923 flags, a sign that the memorial has become both a powerful civic symbol and a project that requires real planning.

The Walk of Flags began on Sept. 2, 2002, after Perrie Sheldon got the idea following a visit to Sheldon, Iowa, where he saw an Avenue of Flags. On Memorial Day 2002, the display first went up with 101 flags. From there it grew steadily, later reaching about 1,875 flags before this year’s expansion brought it to the 1,923-flag cap.

Each flag stands on a 25-foot pole, and the tribute is built to be seen on 10 designated days each summer. Those holidays include Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Purple Hearts Day, Labor Day, POW/MIA Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. The arrangement gives the city a repeated, high-visibility reminder of military service rather than a one-day ceremony that disappears after the crowd leaves.

The memorial is centered at Veteran’s Memorial Park on east Lincoln Avenue, behind the Fergus Falls Fire Hall, where the site also includes flower gardens, a commemorative statue, benches and access to the riverwalk. That location matters. It places the tribute in one of the city’s more traveled public spaces, where residents and visitors encounter it as part of daily life, not just during formal observances.

Veterans Walk of Flags Inc. has carried the project forward as a Fergus Falls nonprofit with a historic-preservation mission. Local accounts also credit Stan Morrill with helping Sheldon launch the effort, and the display’s growth has made each flag more than decoration: each one honors a specific military member with a plaque carrying that person’s name and rank. As the rows along East Summit Avenue fill in, the memorial has become one of Fergus Falls’ most visible acts of remembrance, and its nearing capacity underscores how deeply the community has committed to keeping veteran recognition in plain view.