Alpena is starting to have that red, white and blue glow about town. As the Memorial Day weekend has arrived, so too have American flags — dozens of them along the Thunder Bay River.

Thanks to the efforts of the Alpena Kiwanis Club and Alpena Booster Club, the Avenue of Flags has returned to help honor those who have served or are serving our country, and to help Alpena show its patriotic pride. As has been noted here before, the two clubs should be commended for taking on this project. However, we don’t think either club was aware of how powerful the project would be.

The presence of all those flags flying in the breeze gives the whole community a sense of patriotism. The only way to avoid the stirring visual is to avoid driving on either street, and since both are gateways into town it is almost impossible to avoid.

It’s easier to make a significant impact when it comes to displays of patriotism in a smaller community, that fact is not lost. But we would argue that smaller communities just plain do it better than big cities. That’s not to say they are more patriotic, it’s just that smaller communities go all out.

And, we understand if traffic slows down along the river this weekend as motorists take in the view. Alpena is letting its pride show.