Woburn company proud to make Banner 18 for Boston Celtics
WOBURN - New England is still buzzing over the Celtics 18th NBA title win. There are currently 17 green and white banners flying high in the TD Garden with plans to raise the 18th in the fall.
A Woburn company will be tasked with making it as New England Flag and Banner has been creating custom banners for more than 130 years. It has never been more exciting for company owner Ned Flynn. "It was fantastic after the game was over, I couldn't go to bed I was wired," said Flynn. "For us to be able to immortalize for them and for the fans their accomplishment is a great thing for us."
Banner will be ready for opening night
They are one of the few companies in the country still making hand sewn banners and flags with 25 highly skilled employees who will soon be at work making number 18 for the Celtics to hang on opening night next season.
They do it for the pros and for colleges which are the championship banners they are working on right now. Flynn says it's very labor intensive. "It's really two banners sewn back-to-back, and each one of those banners takes roughly 22 hours to make," he said.
Any fans watching the duck boat parade may see the team holding smaller replicas of the banner which Flynn drove to Boston himself on Tuesday right after the win. "We got to the Garden and the person working the gate said to me, 'what are you doing here?' and I said 'look in the backseat.' He goes, 'yes sir we'll let you right in,'" Flynn said.
The tradition with the Celtics started in 1957 with a call from Red Auerbach for a championship banner.
Lucky penny in every banner
Flynn doesn't want to jinx it but hopes the wait won't be too long for banner 19. That's why they sew a lucky penny beneath the company name on every product, for good luck going forward.
Celtics fans, like Lakisha Hicks, can't wait to see it unfurled from the rafters. "I'm going to be in attendance. For me and my family we love to see the history we're making right now," she said after buying Celtics gear at the TD Garden pro shop.
"As fans you go through the journey with the team, everything is connected, and when they hang it, the fans get the satisfaction as well," said fan Michael Gonda.
No more satisfaction than Ned Flynn and his employees who know every cut, every stitch that will make the banner hang proud.
