Happy Flag Day, Ridgefield!
You're a grand old flag
You're a high-flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave
You're the emblem of
The land I love
The home of the free and the brave
-George M. Cohan
American Flags line Main Street in downtown Ridgefield to honor Old Glory. Today, June 14, 2021, is Flag Day.
American Legion Post 78 Commander George Besse says that today is not only about honoring the Flag, but also what it symbolizes. "Freedom to worship as we please, to speak as we please and to vote as we please," says Besse who adds, "today is about hardworking men and women who have stood behind the principles of the flag making this the greatest and most successful country in the world."
According to Military.com, The first celebration of the U.S. Flag's birthday was held in 1877 on the 100th anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777. However, they say, it is believed that the first annual recognition of the flag's birthday dates back to 1885 when a school teacher, BJ Cigrand, first organized a group of Wisconsin school children to observe June 14 - the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes as the Flag's Birthday. Cigrand, now known as the 'Father of Flag Day,' continued to publically advocate the observance of June 14 as the flag's 'birthday', or 'Flag Day' for years.