Sean Mower and Aiden show one of the wooden flags they have worked on." />
Sean Mower and Aiden show one of the wooden flags they have worked on.
Sean Mower was thinking of the community efforts and professionalism Eudora police officers display when he decided to donate a wooden American flag to the Police Department this month.
The idea came when his eighth grade son Aiden wanted to make a flag with a blue line for his room to show support for the police, and then they decided together to donate one to the Eudora police station.
“They have always been there for our kids,” he said. “It’s one of those deals where they should know there’s still a lot of us out there that appreciate what they do.”
Mower appreciates the police officers of Eudora working with kids in the community because it is not required, but they make the extra effort anyway, which made the decision to donate the flag even easier.
The families of Mower and his wife Bobi have military backgrounds and were part of the inspiration behind the wooden flags. Mower also has a brother who is a sheriff in Colorado.
“It’s just one of those things that felt right to do,” he said. “If we’re going to build one anyway, we might as well build two. The police around here do a lot for our community, and they interact with our kids all the time at the schools.”
Mower initially built a coffee table for his living room, then he decided to make a wooden American flag for himself. When he started showing people what he made, they decided they wanted the wooden flags as well, so it became a business.
“We’re still planning on actually donating one to the firehouse as well, but I had like 14 orders come in,” he said. “So, I was like, ‘Well, let me get the ones people that people are paying for done first and then we’ll build that one.’”
The wooden flags have recently been sold for $75, but first responders can purchase them at a discount for $50.
Before painting the flags, the wood is burned, which darkens the wood and gives the grain more texture. A stencil is placed over the wood to create the stars on the flag. Mower posts the projects he is working on and what he is selling on the Mower’s Woodworking Facebook page.
When Aiden comes home from practicing in sports, such as football, wrestling and baseball throughout the year, he finds time to help with the woodworking projects.
“When he was making the coffee table, I helped a little bit with that, I helped a little bit with most of his projects,” Aiden said. “It’s a neat hobby to do.”
Mower’s sophomore daughter Savannah has also helped make the flags. Between four and seven flags are made a week, but more could be made within that window depending on the time available and how much wood is purchased at a time.
Aiden said the officers in Eudora do an incredible job and he was able to show his appreciation through a hobby he enjoys.
“It takes a lot of time, but it’s nice to see the final result and there is a lot of creativity with it,” he said. “We can do whatever we want, and we can do it however we want.”
Eudora Police Chief Wes Lovett said the department is fortunate to have an abundance of support from the community.
“There are a lot of law enforcement agencies in the United States that don’t have the kind of support we do,” he said. “I think this is one example of the support we have by this gentleman taking the time to make this flag and donate it to our police department, which will be put up on the wall here, so I thought it was a very thoughtful gesture.”
Reach reporter Chris Fortune at [email protected].
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