Sunday, June 22, 2008

A Maverick who created the World's Largest Flag

Thomas "Ski" Demski was 72 years old when he died in 2002. He once came in last in a Long Beach City Council race, getting only 61 votes. He ran for mayor every time they had an election, and never won. But the mayor of Long Beach was not in George W. Bush's inaugural parade, and Ski Demski was. That's because Ski Demski owned the World's Largest Flag, "Superflag," as designated by the Guinness Book of World Records. It is an American Flag. It measures 505 feet by 225 feet and weighs 3,000 pounds. It takes 500 people to unfurl. Each star is 17 feet high.

Superflag wasn't in the Bush inaugural. It was too big. Superflag, Jr. at 47x82 was, carried by 55 ROTC cadets. A 56th cadet pushed Demski alongside in a wheelchair. Demski is a true patriot in the happiest crank sense: he had a tattoo of Old Glory on his chest, using an old operation scar as its flagpole.

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