Colonial Flag Company is celebrating  the Utah State Flag’s birthday in a big way.  Company seamstresses have produced a gigantic Utah State Flag which was raised today, the 9^th of March, on the 80 foot flagpole in front of the Utah State Capitol by Lieutenant Governor Greg Bell.  The 20 by 30 foot flag, which weighs over 22 pounds folded, will fly all day in honor of the one hundredth anniversary of the adoption of the Utah State Flag.

The huge flag has had a big impact.  The Utah State Senate has been considering House Bill 490 to officially designate March 9^th as Utah State Flag Day.  However, with the State Senate overburdened by critical legislation, it seemed likely that the session would end without the Senate taking action on H.B. 490.  Seeing Colonial’s huge flag flying on the centennial anniversary day of the Utah State Flag inspired the senators to suspend the rules and pass House Bill 490.  Consequently from this year forward, March 9^th is officially recognized as Utah State Flag Day.

On Thursday, March 10^th the huge flag will be raised in front of Colonial Flag Company Headquarters and Showroom located at 9390 South 300 West in Sandy, Utah.

The flag, sewn entirely on site in Sandy, is a beautiful example of the flag-making art.  It is double appliquéd so that the image is perfect on both sides.  The pattern, produced by Colonial Flag’s graphic artist, David Rindlisbach, honors the first color version of the Utah State Flag adopted in 1913.

Although the story of the Utah State Flag stretches back to 1903, its official history began on March 9^th in 1911 when the design of the first flag became law.  While the first design was a white emblem embroidered on a blue field, the current color version was adopted in 1913.  An error made in the design of a Utah State Flag produced in 1922 has been repeated by flag-makers until this year.  Less than a month ago the Utah Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution 2 to correct that error.  However, the Resolution allows existing flags to be used until they need to be replaced.

Consequently, at this first celebration of Utah State Flag Day, the gigantic Utah flag is one of only a relatively small number of correct Utah State Flags in existence.  The others are part of Colonial Flag Company’s initial order of the correct pattern, and are available for sale at Colonial Flag Company’s Showroom located at 9390 South 300 West in Sandy.

Because of Colonial Flag Company’s efforts there were correct flags on display to celebrate the Centennial of the Utah State Flag, the first Utah State Flag Day.  We are proud to be a part of honoring the Utah State Flag on its centennial.

To even the least technically minded individual it somewhat makes sense that very tall flagpoles require more complex support structures than a simple 10 ft pole.  Sometimes an aluminum flagpole won’t meet the stress requirements as a result of wind loads, and therefore a “flag tower” must be build.

An example of such a construction is the tallest flag tower in the world at “Kijong-dong” (which is the Korean Demilitarized Zone or “DMZ”) in North Korea.  This flag tower has a height of 525 ft and flies a 600 lbs weighing North Korean flag. Interestingly, in the (by some) so called “flagpole war,” a relatively short battle for the sky, the North Koreans initially observed the shorter South Korean flagpole gain another 330 ft with a 300 lbs flag.  The North Koreans countered the South Koreans by building their current record-holding 525 ft flag tower.

Interestingly, the 600 lbs (dry-weight) heavy North Korean flag is immediately taken down during rains, as the weight of the flag increases dramatically, thus increasing momentum (as the flags whips around at the top of the flag tower), thus increasing the stress on the flag tower significantly.

However, the claim made by reportedly the tallest flagpole in the world located in Kijong-dong has not been accepted (especially by competitors) unanimously.  Looking at flagpoles specifically, the tallest flagpole in the world is the Ashgabat flagpole in Turkmenistan.  With a height of 436 ft, this flagpole beats the formerly record holding Aqaba flagpole in Jordan (433 ft).  This flagpole flies the flag of the Arab Revolt and can be seen all the way from neighboring nations, such as: Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Aqaba flagpole will be countered by the National Flag Square in Azerbaijan, a flagpole that is currently under construction and will reach a height of 531 ft.  The Raghadan Flagpole in Amman is currently the third tallest flagpole in the world.  It reaches a height of 410 ft and flies a flag that measures 200 by 130 feet; it is illuminated at night and can be seen from a good 16 miles away.  The National Flag Square, the tallest flagpole in the world to be, in Azerbaijan is set to reach the height of 531ft very soon, if it hasn’t already.