For a couple in Halifax, placing a variety of flags on their front step means sharing a love of history.
The house of local historians Dan Conlin and his wife Patricia Acheson looks like any other on the block, except for one detail: They fly a different flag outside their house every day.
“I’ve always been interested in the history of flags and the beauty and interest of their designs, and working at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic — flags are a big part of the world of ships,” Conlin, a local Halifax historian, told CTV News.
Every morning the couple decides which colors they will fly. Next comes a discussion of what handwritten fact to place outside with the flag for passers-by.
On the day CTV News visited, the house was dotted with Austria’s bold red and white stripes.
“We’re just doing it for fun,” Acheson told CTV News. “It’s a bit of a hobby and a chance to talk to the neighbours.”
It’s not always official flags – the couple have flown a homemade patchwork design for Christmas, the infamous black flag flown by the pirate Blackbeard, and even an IKEA bag fitted with handles that flutter in the breeze. Variety is the key, the couple says.
“Patricia and I like to take an interesting look at some strange inventions or strange coincidences,” Conlin said, explaining that discovering an interesting event that happened on a particular day can help them choose that day’s flag.
“Zazel the Human Cannon, that’s a good excuse to use the British flag,” he said, referring to an English aviator from the 1800s.
The idea to hang flags in front of their home came two years ago at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As more people worked from home, more people needed to get out of the house.
“People were looking for a destination, and our flag became a destination for many people’s walks,” Conlin said.
As the couple places a handwritten note about that day’s flag on the banister of their stairs, some who stop to read even get a quick history lesson.
The waving of the Austrian flag, for example, comes with a note stating that it commemorates the 1862 birthday of the artist Gustav Klimt, “known for his decorative and symbolic works using gold leaf, such as The Kiss.”
“It’s both history and art,” one neighbor told CTV News, standing under the Austrian flag. “It’s about Gustav Klimt and Austria, which I certainly won’t be able to tell you, and I hope it’s not on the exam.”
The couple now has more than 70 flags that they keep tucked away in their basement when not on display.
People have even given them new flags as gifts, but for Conlin, the best part isn’t the flags themselves, but hearing the excitement of pure discovery when others see them.
“We see people slowing down or crossing the street all the time — interesting discussions about, ‘oh, that’s the day he was born,'” Conlin said.
So regardless of the color of the flag they carry, the couple says the reward is in the new relationships they make along the way.
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