Group paints US flag on Crawfordsville field for pandemic heroes
(CNN) — A group of people in Indiana turned one field into a symbol of hope during the pandemic by giving it a patriotic makeover.
Using red, white and blue — of course — the group, led by Justin Riggins, painted a 10,000 square foot American flag.
“With everything that everyone is going through in this pandemic, I wanted something positive for people,” Riggins told CNN. “I’m very patriotic and I wanted to recognize there are a lot of heroes on the front lines.”
It took two days for Riggins, his family and friends to design and paint the field, which is located in Crawfordsville, northwest of Indianapolis. The field is on the same land as his home, automotive repair business and also a private airstrip.
His goal was to create a symbol people can see from above as they fly by. On Friday, the group met at the land to measure and layout out the design.
The next day, it took two hours and 30 gallons of paint to construct the massive flag.
Riggins used environmentally safe paint, he said, the same kind that ball parks use on their fields.
In total it measures 78 by 137 feet, and covers 10,686 square feet.
“We are all in this together,” Riggins said. “We need something positive right now.”
He hopes to be able to leave the flag for all to see throughout the year and plans on touching it up when needed.