Part of this year's flagging crew: Linda Barrett, center, is flanked to her left by her mom, Leah, and her two sisters, Jennifer Barrett, and Sheila Barrett-McCabe. To her left is Linda's daughter Amee with baby and Jennifer's daughter, Carisse. Courtesy photo

DIXON, CA (MPG) - When Linda Barrett of Barrett-Leber Realty was a child, the Fourth of July was a big deal with her family.

“We’d close down the streets, have a parade, and have fireworks. It was all about family and America and honoring our military. My dad served in World War II,” she said. Patriotism was deeply embedded, so when you see those American flags lining the streets of all of Dixon this month, you now know where the long tradition started.

“We started in 1999 covering about 3,000 homes with my husband, Greg (now deceased) and our friends were involved so we had this little crew working on it. It was fun,” she said. “Then it grew…”

Back then, if Barrett had a client that didn’t live in the area they covered, she would make sure they got them for over the years, it just kept expanding.

“About 10 years ago was the first time I covered the whole town,” she added. This year marks the 25th time and there were about 40 people helping, including her mom and sisters and nieces. Volunteers often come back for the task because of the good feelings it gives them to decorate the town with American flags.

“My kids are now circling back around. Friends of some of their friends that flagged for me in high school have come back and flag for me as adults and now their children in high school and they are flagging for me. Another generation of flaggers—it’s really special,” she said.

Barrett actually starts each year looking around Dixon in March to see what new homes have been built or will be finished and what new streets will need flags. About a month out from the distribution, she starts asking friends and family if they want to help.

On the Fourth of July, the team gathers at 4:45 a.m.

“We cannot start until the sun crests because you can’t have a flag out at night, so we start about 5:15 and with our team of 40 it takes us two hours and 45 minutes,” Barrett said. According to online Census Data, Dixon now has 6,554 homes. The flags line every street and people all over Dixon wake up to see their neighborhoods lined with the red, white, and blue flags.

To flag something means to draw attention to it and with “flagging” Dixon, a working crew of 40 helped to build patriotism in the Dixon community. Photo by Debra Dingman

After “flagging,” the crew is traditionally treated to breakfast—this year, it was thanks to Jill and Greg Orr at Dawson’s Bar and Grill downtown.

“It feels good, and they are happy that they are a part of this. People stop and say thank you for doing this. We love it every year and it makes us proud to be American,” said Barrett.

“I think it’s the most wonderful thing that they do and for years thought the Veterans did it,” said long-time Dixonite Tom Schneider. But only about 20 wind up there, according to Wayne Holland of the American Legion Post 208. They use them for decorations at events or military services, he added.

Many residents leave them up at their homes and businesses for at least a couple weeks but until then, they look “amazing,” said Schneider. One elderly man saves his and brings them all out to line his yard each year, Barrett reported.