New Baltimore’s towering flagpole is Michigan’s tallest

NEW BALTIMORE, Michigan. – For years, New Baltimore’s old water tower was a landmark, and when it rusted, the community wanted a replacement.

Then the new Baltimore Lion’s Club came up with an idea: a very tall flagpole with a very American flag.

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Member Ron Earle was put in charge of the project, but was not enthusiastic about the original plans. For him, it was all or nothing.

“We don’t want to be number two on this project, we want to be number one,” Earle said. “So I went back to the club and said, ‘Well, the old goal was 150 – now we’re at 160 feet.'”

He realized that his project would not only require a lot of work, but also a lot of money – especially given Michigan’s unpredictable and destructive offshore winds.

“It’s supported by about 80 tons of concrete,” Earle said. “It’s constructed way too strongly at the moment, it’ll never fall over.”

Initially, they sold monogrammed memorial stones and held a fundraiser that raised $100,000, but current Lions Club President Jeff Byrum admitted they also had to set aside money for ongoing maintenance – about $10,000 a year.

“I think the majority of people here are very patriotic,” Byrum said. “I mean, there are a lot of things that happen nationally that don’t happen here. We honor the flag!”

When Bob Higgins, owner of Fin’s Eatery & Spirits, had an idea – a Jack of Spades raffle – the town’s reaction surprised everyone.

“But we could never have made as much money as we did with the Jack of Spades,” Byrum recalls. “It was an incredible fundraiser and we ended up raising $200,000. So we ended up with about $75,000 for the flag.”

Eight years later, the 160-foot flagpole is still a special spot on the New Baltimore waterfront.

“I just think we’re a patriotic town. We’re a boating town,” Earle said. “Those are the reasons why people are really interested in contributing.”

“When you come to New Baltimore, the flag is a symbol. The first thing you see is the flag when you come downtown,” Byrum said. “And if you’re a boater, you know where the flag is.”

This is one of the many ways the New Baltimore community has come together for various projects and improvements to city facilities that put their unique stamp on the city’s passion.

Now that they’ve figured out how to keep the flag in top shape and plumb year-round, they’ve started work on the park around the flag to make it a gathering place along the coast for everyone to enjoy.

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