Drive around Swallow Crescent and you will undoubtedly notice Bill Buitenweg’s house.
“Number four. You can’t miss it,” he said.
You couldn’t miss it even if you don’t know what number he’s at. It isn’t so much the quaint little house itself, the gorgeous landscaping with two rock gardens, or even the majestic elm trees that rise above his front yard that will capture your attention so much as the front lawn, specifically what he has stuck in it.
It is profusely decorated by Canadian flags… 150 of them to be exact, an appropriate number to tie in with country’s sesquicentennial.
This is part of an ongoing effort of his as he has been setting up his front yard thusly ever since 2009. When it came time for Canada’s 142nd birthday, he had the corresponding number of flags. Every year since has meant another flag planted in the ground in time for July 1 to roll around.
“We just thought at one point, we said, ‘You know what, we’re putting up like 40, 50 flags anyway, so why not go to town?’”
Buitenweg is no stranger to making his house stand out with seasonal statements. You should come back in six months to see his Christmas display too. This Canada Day exposition of flags, however, does much for him to serve as the focus point of his celebration as it lends a fine reminder to him and everyone to celebrate each day.
To emphasize that point, he explained how he died, twice, in 2012. On Sept. 4 of that year, he had a massive heart attack and “was gone for about three minutes.”
“They brought me back and then I died again, and I was gone for 10 minutes. I said to myself… ‘We better be thankful for what we do have here now because everything you have can be gone in a split second. I know. I’ve been there.”
That was only five years ago. His life story is absolutely filled with overcoming health obstacles so that he could still be here to be a local champion of patriotism.
To start, the 54-year-old was born three months premature in Holland.
“I was a pound and a half. I literally fit in the palm of my dad’s hand. His hand is actually quarter inch smaller than mine is. I’m now just about six-foot-two, and closer to 210, 215 pounds.”
Nerve damage from a leg surgery nearly two years has kept him from work but nothing could hold him back from these flag displays. He considers them his civic duty and a good reminder to others.
He still doesn’t understand why more Canadians don’t celebrate their country as much as the Dutch. In his home country, he said, there is a massive parade every year for the Canadian troops that served and liberated Holland at the end of World War II.
“Why can’t I be the same? Why can’t I do as much? That’s how I look at it.”
Certainly, no one could claim that he isn’t doing his part. His flags range in size from the small handheld ones that you might expect to be handed out during parades up to the biggest one that measures up at 0.91 metres by 1.82 metres. He’s pretty much gone all out in setting up for this celebration.
“This is a big one. This is 150, and I ain’t gonna see 200,” he laughed.
His neighbours love his displays too, some of who have even been inspired to put up flags of their own.
“It’s pumping them up. That makes me feel awesome because when you do something and people appreciate it, that’s great. Show your patriotism. You’re Canadian. At least fly one flag. That’s all I’m asking. I could care less about how many you have, but fly at least one. Look at the United States. Their July 4th… I bet you can’t drive a block without seeing 40 flags. Why can’t we as Canadians be just as patriotic, if not more? We have way more to be thankful for than the United States does, trust me,” he laughed. “Mr. Trump isn’t helping matters.”
“I’ve always looked at it that way. Be thankful for where you are. Alberta is the best province in Canada… the best province in the world.”
He will also be serving up 150 cupcakes to passersby on July 1. He hopes that people will bring donations for the food bank too, which they can do even now.
“That way, it helps not just us but it helps others. The more for the food bank, the better. I’m not starving to death but there’s other people out there that are barely getting by.”
