Rotary club vows to continue Thousand Flags event despite theft of all 1,000 flags

The sight of a thousand flags waving in the afternoon breeze against the green lawn and blue lake at The Park at River Walk in southwest Bakersfield is a feeling many remember fondly.

The inspiring view, and maybe the feeling that comes with it, were stolen over the weekend when someone — or a group of someones — made off with a trailer containing all 1,000 American flags, 1,000 flag poles and support structures designed to hold them safely in place.

"They didn't steal a trailer; they stole an event," said Denise Haynes, a longtime member of the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club, which organizes the annual event known as Thousand Flags each Memorial Day weekend.

"It's an event that is well-loved," Haynes said. "It's part of the soul of our community."

Cheryl Scott, another longtime club member, was the first to announce the news on Facebook, calling the theft of the trailer and its contents "a crime against our community."

"If you've been out to Thousand Flags at The Park at River Walk over Memorial Day weekend, you know it's an amazing display," Scott wrote in her post.

"Unbelievably, someone has stolen the trailer that houses all the flags and poles — everything!" she wrote.

Anyone who sees something suspicious should notify the Kern County Sheriff's Office, she said.

In the meantime, according to Haynes, club members are not about to allow the actions of common thieves to interrupt a new tradition in Bakersfield, an event that earlier this year passed the 10-year mark.

"We're going to hold the Thousand Flags event in May 2025 whether we get the original flags back or not," she said.

Her insistence on moving forward with plans for the event seemed like a cross between determination and stubbornness.

"I'm not afraid to admit that," she said, laughing.

Either way, club members and Haynes are determined to continue hosting Thousand Flags each Memorial Day.

For years to come.