Grass-roots effort creates giant flag for hillside display

If all goes as planned, Carson City's C-Hill on the southwest side of the city will be decorated with a 120-foot-by-67-foot American flag by Sunday.

The 1,000-pound vinyl flag was the brainchild of Dan Mooney and Gilbert Ayarbe, two longtime Carson City residents.

"We were walking on the hill not long after the September attacks on the World Trade Center when Gil said, 'Wouldn't it be nice to have a flag up there?'" said Mooney.

That began a grassroots campaign that has generated widespread support.

The first step was creating a flag to the scale needed to cover a hillside. That's where 20-year-old Josh Buscay stepped in. He created a digital scale model on his computer. His mother, Sarah Buscay, who operates Sarah's Upholstery, and Rene Quell spent days measuring, cutting and sewing the 680 yards of material used for the flag.

"We started last Saturday and we're not done yet," said Sarah Buscay. "I think this will be good for the whole community and for the state. It's just feels like the right thing to do now."

The land where the "C" sits is owned by the U.S. Forest Service. Carson District Ranger Gary Schiff said, "The Forest Service would be proud to host the flag."

Carson City officials have also cleared the way. "Dan Mooney contacted me and Supervisor Robin Williamson and asked what we thought," said the city's Economic Development/Redevelopment Manager Rob Joiner. "We said it was great."

Joiner later helped secure a $1,000 donation to the project from the Greater Nevada Credit Union. Others, including the law firm of Allison, Mackenzie, Hartman, Soumbeniotis & Russell and Michael Hohl Motors also pitched in to help raise more than $3,000 so far. Mooney said more than 100 people have been involved in the project to date.

"Our firm had done a lot of work over the years restoring the 'C' on the hill and someone called suggesting we paint the 'C' red, white and blue," said attorney Chris MacKenzie. "When these guys contacted me about the flag, I just thought it was a better idea."

On Tuesday the flag was being assembled in a warehouse with the help of Boy Scouts from Troop 44. More than 2,400 grommets will be used to attach the flag's pieces. Nearly 2,000 pounds of pipe will hold the flag in place.

The stars for the flag had to be computer-generated and sized to proportion. That work was donated by Vital Signs of Carson City.

If all goes according to plan, a helicopter from the Nevada Army National Guard will transport the flag to C Hill on Saturday, taking off from Carson Middle School. It will take a full day to prepare it for Sunday's anticipated unfurling. The land is being readied by a crew from the Nevada Department of Corrections.

The flag could last five to seven years if maintained properly, according to Mooney. "We've had contacts with several service clubs interested in helping maintain the flag," he said.

Anyone interested in donating to the cause is encouraged to call Chris MacKenzie at 687-0202.

You can help

To donate, call Chris MacKenzie at 775-687-0202.