Raise the Flag
In 2009 Avram Golden’s family threw a going-away party for his brother Ari Golden, who deployed to the Iraq War. Avram traveled from Bay City, his childhood home and permanent residence, and arrived in the small town of Laingsburg, Michigan, where his brother lived. The visual of American flags lining the Lainsburgh streets made a visually profound impression on Avram. He was immediately determined to organize a similar display. After some thought, Golden knew Bay City’s Tall Ship Celebration and Fireworks Festival was the perfect time to initiate such a project. He then presented the idea to the Downtown Management Board and completed the approval process with the city of Bay City. Raise the Flag proudly mounted 100 flags within historic downtown Bay City in their first year (2010) and have incrementally expanded the Raise A Flag presence each year. Even though these high-quality flags are carefully removed and stored each Fall, the life-cycle is only two years, so project funding remains ongoing.
Third Street Star Bridge
The Third Street Star Bridge emerged as Avram Golden thought about his brother Ari, who was the light in his own life. “I love the idea of light,” Golden says. “Light illuminates the darkness. Light is also a way to describe a special person. We all have people in our lives that have been a ‘light’ to us, and I wanted to find a way to embody that idea.” To achieve his goal, Golden partnered with members of the community for the project. The first supporters of the Third Street Star Bridge were the City of Bay City and the other owners of the buildings where the lights were hung. The next supporter was Rob at Clements Electric, who helped provide services, choreographed the light pattern with Avram, and performed the installation. To assist in funding the project, people donated $100 to have a loved ones name put on a plaque underneath the Star Bridge representing the “lights above.”
