Giant Norwegian flag lights up Stanwood's iconic Hamilton Smokestack
As the Norwegian flag was hoisted up the 150-foot-tall Hamilton Smokestack on Wednesday, May 13, a bald eagle perched at the top to get a better look.
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As the Norwegian flag was hoisted up the 150-foot-tall Hamilton Smokestack on Wednesday, May 13, a bald eagle perched at the top to get a better look.
"He must be Norwegian," a spectator joked.
The smokestack, which frequently boasts large lit-up seasonal decor, now has its widest piece yet — measuring 24 feet wide — towering above Stanwood thanks to the Daughters of Norway.
The flag, made of hundreds of blue, white and red bulbs, will remain on the smokestack through the month of May to celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day, the country's day of independence, on May 17.
The Daughters of Norway is a nationwide nonprofit with chapters throughout the U.S., formed more than 115 years ago.
The Stanwood branch, Ingeborg Lodge #43, was created in 2003.
Ingeborg Lodge President Tiffany Nelson said Wednesday that she's surprised the flag hasn't been raised on the smokestack before, given the amount of Norwegian heritage in the Stanwood area.
"I'm just excited for the community to have this," she said. "This is a way to celebrate our Nordic heritage with the mix of Scandinavian immigrants who came to settle this place."
She said neighboring cities such as Bothell have large celebrations every year, and several years ago, Stanwood's Daughters of Norway chapter came up with the idea to create a flag.
Ingeborg Lodge #43 partnered with the crews of the Stanwood Lions Club and Marla and Randy Heagle of Arrowhead Ranch to make the flag a reality.
Nelson reached out to the Heagles with the idea at the end of April, thinking the project would have to wait until next year.
Marla Heagle said Randy Heagle was able to put the flag's frame together quickly at the Arrowhead Ranch Makerspace and added lights with the help of Nelson.
Will Webb, a member of the Stanwood Lions Club, directed volunteers from his perch in the smokestack, carefully adjusting the flag to ensure it rose straight.
As the flag slowly made its journey to the top, members of Ingeborg Lodge played the Norwegian national anthem and made plans to return in the evening to see the lights in the darkness.
Next for the smokestack, Marla Heagle said plans are underway to create an American flag of the same scale in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary on the Fourth of July.
That framework is also being built at the Arrowhead Ranch Makerspace.
