In a show of symbolic support of our troops and the Fourth of July holiday, TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach will use 975 colored towels to create a giant 13 star flag mosaic – the original Betsy Ross flag – along the beachfront behind the resort. This creative and inspiring tribute was the brainchild of retired TradeWinds employee, Bob McManaway, the former director of plant operations and veteran of the Armed Forces, who envisioned dyeing TradeWinds beach towels red and blue, which combined with white towels, create this memorable display. Guests will lay down the towels to form a mosaic of the original flag, while 13 of TradeWinds younger guests will pose as the stars on the flag, representing the original 13 colonies.
TradeWinds is also offering guests the opportunity to write a message to World War II Veterans by signing a giant banner, which will be set up on the beach adjacent to the flag. Once again, TradeWinds is working with Honor Flight of West Central Florida, an organization that provides all expense paid flights for World War II Veterans to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C. The TradeWinds banner will be displayed at the airport when the next Honor Flight group departs. A representative from Honor Flight will be on-hand July 4th to provide additional information on this outstanding organization to guests. www.honorflightwcf.org
The flag’s construction will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, July 4th. A photo opportunity with the TradeWinds’ younger guests is at 10 a.m. Once created, the flag will stay on the beach until 1 p.m., weather permitting. Guests can sign the banner during this timeframe. TradeWinds Island Grand on St. Pete Beach is located at 5500 Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach. For more information contact (727) 367-6461.