By James Peters

WORLD CUP

The Flag Man of Sun Rivers

Jun 14, 2019 | 4:41 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s part of Vic Bifano’s morning routine. During any big international sporting event, he puts out his flags to recognize some of the teams competing that day.

“It’s paying tribute to the fact that we’re not alone in the world,” Bifano explains. “There’s a lot of other counties out there, trying to do the best they can.”

It’s also a little bit of a family tradition for him.

“My father used to have a flag on our front yard,” Bifano recalls. “The tradition of having a flag at my house is something that I really cherish.”

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Over the years, he’s amassed quite a collection. He now has over 80 flags, all modified to fly on his custom flagpoles.

“In this particular World Cup, I think I’m only missing two countries,” he says.

While the Italians have a special place in his heart, he says he’s cheering the for the team with the Maple Leaf on their crests.

“Canada… it’d be great [if they won].”

The Canadian flag always flies higher than any of the others. More importantly, Bifano puts the flags out every morning because he enjoys it; he hopes his neighbors and any visitors to his Sun Rivers neighborhood do, too.

“It’s kind of neat for people to walk by or drive by and see them,” Bifano says. “This is a neat way of having some fun and having some community spirit.”