People drop by Mike Labbe’s front yard on Keith Hill Road and take photos every day, usually about 10 on weekdays and 30 to 40 on weekends. Some people drive from more than an hour away.
They come to see the miniature U.S. flags he sticks in his yard, one for each Massachusetts person who has died of COVID-19. As of Wednesday morning, he had planted more than 7,850 flags. Many of the visitors have lost someone dear to them to the virus.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Labbe said. “It’s about paying it forward in life. Ninety-five percent of these people didn’t get to say goodbye to their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their children. And if they can pull up here and see that and it gives them a little bit of stress relief, or comfort, it’s worth every ounce of effort.”