POST FALLS - With 600 flags fluttering in the wind at Evergreen Cemetery, Angela Hatch walked along, looking to place one more at a veteran’s gravesite.

She couldn’t find one. Every burial plot had one.

Hatch didn't mind.

“Look how beautiful this is,” she said Friday morning as she glanced around at the red, white and blue, seeming to wave from everywhere.

Hatch, whose family has military ties, said it was emotional to be part of such a large turnout of young and old who came to help American Legion Post 143 put the flags up in advance of Memorial Day.

“I’m amazed at how many more people are stepping up,” she said. "This is beautiful."

Shawn and Kay Hagen, with Post 143, said it normally takes a few hours to get all the flags into place as only a handful of volunteers come out. But Friday, with so many pitching in, it took about 30 minutes.

“More people want to be involved,” Kay Hagen said.

Which was a good thing, as organizers were hustling because gray clouds were threatening to send rain down.

Shawn Hagen said he believes more people are paying attention to patriotic events than in years past. Many, he said, are learning to appreciate what veterans have done for the country.

“It’s nice to see,” he said.

About 20 American Heritage Girls and Trail Life boys from Real Life Ministries in Post Falls were also carrying flags and seeking homes for them at Evergreen.

Teri Chandler, coordinator with American Heritage Girls Troop 2819, said it’s important for kids to learn about veterans, the sacrifices they made and “why we have the freedom that we have today.”

“I think putting the flags up is one of the best ways for them to see what our veterans have done,” she said.