Local Boy Scouts, Volunteers Will Plant 1,901 Flags

Villagers will wake up to a field of rippling red, white and blue on Memorial Day this year, after volunteers plant 1,901 flags on the in the days leading up to the holiday.

Called a , the display celebrates the founding of Northbrook in 1901 and honors the memory of those who have served, are serving and have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Who’s behind this effort? Two hardworking Boy Scouts, among many other individuals and local organizations.

Michael Kuhn and Will Ah Tou, both Boy Scouts in Northbrook’s Troup 64, decided they wanted to help promote and set up the Field of Honor as part of their service project work toward becoming Eagle Scouts, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scout program.

So the Boy Scouts teamed up with the , whose members saw the Field of Honor as a way to commemorate the history of the village—which was incorporated as Shermerville in 1901, hence the 1,901 flags—as well as members of the armed forces.  Other partners include the , which gave the Historical Society permission to use the Village Green over the Memorial Day weekend, along with the George W. Benjamin American Legion Post 791 and VFW Post 10236.

Judy Hughes, president of the Northbrook Historical Society, has been impressed with the boys’ dedication. 

“They have been working for months on the project and they have done very well,” she said. “They had to figure out what to do and how they were going to make it happen, and I think they’ve done an outstanding job.”

Kuhn, a freshman at , took on the job of promoting the event, speaking about the project and performing flag ceremonies at a Village Board meeting and for two Cub Scout troops.  He also created a commercial to air on the local access channel, recruited other scouts to help pass out flyers promoting the event and encouraged flag sponsorship at information tables set up during community events, including the at the Village Green and ’s . Residents could sponsor a flag in honor of a loved one or hero of their choice and will receive their flag at the end of the celebration.

“It was interesting to see how some people instantly wanted to help,” Kuhn said.

Tou, a sophomore at GBN, took on the physical aspect of the project. He was involved in mapping out where the flags would go and how sponsors would locate the dedication tags. He recruited other scouts and members of the community to assemble the flags and help set up the display as well as distribute the flags following the event.

“It’s been a steady stream of work,” he commented, “but not too difficult so far.” 

Scoutmaster Terry Dibert has been impressed by the effort the boys have put into the project.  

“It takes a tremendous level of planning,” he said. “Both boys are also involved in athletics and other activities at school as well.  The leadership skills they are learning here are not one-dimensional, but will carry on to other aspects of their lives.”

The work of the Boy Scouts—and many more dedicated volunteers— will be unveiled during opening ceremony for the Field of Honor on Thursday, May 26, at 8 p.m. The Field of Honor will remain open until the closing ceremony Monday evening at 8 p.m.  Music in the Gazebo throughout the weekend includes patriotic bands such as The Legacy Girls, the Navy Band from Great Lakes and the Northbrook Symphony Brass Quintet. For a full schedule of events go to www.northbrooknine.com.