ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — As people are pulling out their grills and fireworks, a local resort took time on July 4th to continue a tradition of creating a large U.S. flag on the beach.
Starting at 9 a.m., people with the TradeWinds Island Resorts laid out 975 colored towels Tuesday morning to create the giant flag along the beachfront.
And this is the 17th year they've done this in celebration of Independence Day.
This tradition is a way to show support to the troops and the Fourth of July holiday, resort leaders explain in a news release. The tribute was started by retired TradeWinds employee Bob McManaway, a veteran and former director of plant operations.
He reportedly envisioned dyeing beach towels at the resort red and blue and combining them with white towels to create a memorable display.
Guests were able to help in placing the towels to form a mosaic of the original flag and adding the 50 "stars" which were symbolized by starfish.