Nature spoiled a patriotic display at Hoover Dam.
After a huge American flag suspended across a portion of the dam was unveiled Memorial Day, strong winds Wednesday prompted the Bureau of Reclamation to temporarily disassemble the flag.
On Thursday, Becki Bryant, a spokeswoman for the bureau’s Upper Colorado Basin office, said the flag would be reinstalled Thursday night in a higher position to better withstand the wind.
Bryant said the top of the dam was to close 7:30 p.m. Thursday, instead of the usual 9 p.m., and was set to open Friday at 6 a.m., an hour later than usual.
The flag measuring 300 feet by 150 feet — about the size of a football field — was showcased Monday as part of the kickoff celebration for America250, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
“The ceremony also helped launch the road to America250 with the most ambitious patriotic installation ever attempted at one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks,” the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said in a news release issued Monday.
At Monday’s unveiling ceremony, which featured remarks from Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, among others, the flag was suspended at the base of Hoover Dam.
“Tonight’s ceremony is not only a celebration of America, but it’s also a moment of remembrance, gratitude and respect,” Lombardo said at the ceremony. “There could not be a more fitting place for that reflection than Hoover Dam.”
The display, which also incorporates 550 automated red, white and blue LED lights, is intended to be activated every night through July 4. At Monday’s ceremony, which was hosted by the bureau and the LVCVA, Hoover Dam was illuminated with red and blue lights while white stars shone on the walls of the Black Canyon of the Colorado River.
Strong winds were in the forecast earlier in the week. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for Southern Nevada from 10 a.m. Tuesday to 5 a.m. Wednesday.
“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects,” the weather service said in a statement Monday. “Tree limbs could be blown down and a pockets of blowing dust may develop.”
A National Weather Service station near Hoover Dam recorded wind gusts as high as 55 mph on Wednesday.
Contact Alex Streinger at astreinger@reviewjournal.com. Boulder City Review Editor Ron Eland contributed to this report.
