Cressman's General Store selling stickers to help fund new flagpole

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

The stars and stripes started flying outside Cressman's after the Creek Fire tore through the Sierra National Forest.

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The stars and stripes started flying outside Cressman's after the Creek Fire tore through the Sierra National Forest.

A larger flag replaced the original one which went up on September 11, 2020, to honor first responders.

"Everybody who worked so hard to keep everybody safe to show them that we were still thinking about them," says Cressman's Owner Ty Gillett.

Cressman's is now selling red, white and blue stickers to create an even larger flag tribute.

"They're going to be $50 and that'll go to the building of the flag pole and a monument at the bottom of it," Gillett said.

Gillett has been working out of a shipping container until a new store is built.

He says support has started to pour in for the flagpole project and he's already picked a spot.

Recent storms piled up snow outside the store and gas station at about 4,800 feet elevation.

A 25 X 15-foot large flag on an 80-foot pole would be visible to motorists in both directions.

"Cressman's kind of welcomes everybody to the mountains, so it will be part of that," Gillett said.

Labor contractors have agreed to donate their time to the project but Gillett hopes to raise $20,000-$25,000 for maintenance.

"We get a lot of wind here, so a flag that big, it needs to be replaced every two to three months," Gillett said.

If you're interested in donating and buying a sticker, click here.

Gillett expects flag pole construction to happen alongside the store's rebuild.

He hopes to see crews working non-stop on the project this summer.

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