Father-daughter duo paints giant US flag onto Grand Prairie field to honor Fourth of July

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas — In Grand Prairie, Texas, Colin Wright has long taken it upon himself to maintain the state-owned land behind his home, mowing it to keep fires and critters at bay. 

“If I get in trouble, so be it,” Wright said.

But this year, Wright and his daughter Madison Lindley took on a new project with a patriotic twist. Using little more than stakes, string, and some field paint, the duo carefully mapped out and painted a massive U.S. flag. 

“I want them to be able to see it from the highway,” Wright said. The field sits just off I-30.

“I thought he was crazy!” Madison admitted.“I wasn’t expecting it to be this big!”

The striking display, which is 55 feet by 29 feet, visible from miles away, is more than a feat of landscaping. It’s a tribute. Wright’s father was a Vietnam veteran, and with Independence Day around the corner, the timing is deeply personal.

“If this helps bring people together and stop arguing and fighting over small stuff, we are one people,” Wright said. For father and daughter, the project has already become a lifelong memory. 

“I’ll never forget it. This is something I take with me when I’m gone,” he said.

As city councilwoman Jorja Clemson puts it, “It’s already fabulous in Grand Prairie, but this makes it even more fabulous.”

Big, bold, and deeply heartfelt — as Wright puts it: “Like Texas. Everything’s bigger in Texas.”

Colin hopes to do it next year, but may need a sponsor because he says field paint can get expensive. He says that to do this year’s display, they spent $600.