Update: Stolen Rope Keeps Flag off Pole

UPDATE: The owner of the plaza with a bare flagpole said a flag once flew there, but "someone keeps cutting and stealing the rope.''

Norman Chalupka, who oversees the property for his father, said he has no objection to a flag flying at the location but that repeated vandalism proved too costly. He said that the cost of hiring a bucket truck to replace the rope that holds the flag became prohibitive.

He said he was unaware of today's protest. He said he wished that Charlie Bolack had contacted him first so they could have "discussed his concerns.''

The town’s unofficial mayor, Charlie Bolack, spent part of his Flag Day pointing out what he considers “an insult,’’ a flagpole outside the plaza at 78 Worcester St. that stands bare.

“There are 150 flags from here to Quinsigamond Corner,’’ Bolack said, talking to a visitor between waves to passing cars. “This is the only one without a flag.’’

Bolack sat alongside a sign protesting the lack of a flag on the pole and asking for passersby to sign a petition.

“If you’re going to have a flagpole without a flag, then take it down,’’ he said.

He said the oversight is especially hurtful in Grafton, which he said has “more spirit than any town around.’’

Flags have a special part in Bolack’s heart: He owns a 60-foot flag that he regularly lends out for community events.