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BERMUDA RUN — Mayor Rick Cross calls it “a gateway to Bermuda Run and Davie County.”

Certainly, the entrance to the town from the east crossing the Yadkin River on U.S. 158 is impressive with the striking roundabout, featuring a 15-foot-obelisk in the center surrounded by brick pavers, which is adjacent to the iconic WinMock Barn.

And now there’s the addition of the newly completed Blue Heron Trail that was dedicated earlier this year … followed by the latest plan to construct a flag plaza with an illuminated three-flag overlook.

Cross said that the young town, just 24 years old, continues to build on traditions — such as Christmas in the Town of Bermuda Run, Food Truck Fridays and an annual concert series — and a deeper sense of community, including connectedness with residents and visitors having the ability to walk, run or bike throughout a town that has emphasized working on the Blue Heron Trail and other pedestrian pathways.

“Those things that remind us who we are, what we stand for, and what is important to us,” Cross said. “In speaking with residents and contemplating this over time, I believed that our town should have a flag plaza — a place to permanently display a U.S. Flag, N.C. Flag and Bermuda Run Flag.”

So, with Veterans Day coming up last Saturday, it seemed to be an appropriate time to more formally launch The Flags at Blue Heron Trail project.

“I asked our Bermuda Run Community Vision Fund Committee, co-chaired by town residents Christy Schafer and Sharon Reid, to provide some thoughts on where and how we could assemble such a place — some place that will be meaningful for all who pass it by,” Cross said. “As expected, this group got right to work in determining a location. They worked on design and development options and settled on the name.”

Schafer recalls meeting with Cross and Lee Rollins, the former town manager, about a year and a half ago when the idea was presented to erect a flag plaza down at the end of the trail toward the end of the WinMock parking lot.

“The actual plaza would go there with flags behind it and some tumbled boulders, and we immediately said ‘yes,’ “Schafer said. “Then we got the landscape architect, and that took some time. We told them can come up with the vision, and we can come up with the fund-raising piece, but building it is not in our scope. Everything is where it needs to be right now.

“We have already launched a fund-raising campaign and are doing remarkably well. There is tremendous enthusiasm in the community for this project.”

Schafer said that community involvement is needed for three-phase funding that will include a third of the money coming from grants, a third from community-honored pavers and a third through corporate partners.
Schafer added that Wayne Thomas, the founder and owner of WinMock, “is allowing us to use some of the property in his backyard and has also agreed to maintain the site.”

The flag plaza rounds out a town and county theme with the roundabout that includes the obelisk — where near the top is a cupola with a blue heron, which is the town logo and features a copper roof and a weather vane at the summit. The heron relates to Bermuda Run and Davie County’s tie to the Yadkin River and wildlife. The cupola represents Bermuda Run and Davie County’s agricultural and village heritage.

“It’s going to be real pretty,” Schafer said of the flag plaza. “I think it’s an absolutely marvelous testament to the town and to what they want us to look like for our visitors and residents coming in. The town’s mission to build a legacy of community, and this is definitely a worthy project to show that.”

Cross added: “Ours is a special community, and as we proceed with this meaningful project, I expect that our residents will embrace it fully. The mosaic of brick pavers, available for purchase and engraving, will serve to honor loved ones, cherished friends and our community.”