Happy Flag Day

I love to see the many American flags that line our little town of Newberg on Flag Day. 

We have a very patriotic town; a giant flag always greets us as we enter the quaint old part of town. 

Don't you love to see festive bunting? 

Here's some fun flag trivia...

• According to the U.S. Department of State, the names of the flag's official colors are old glory red, white, and old glory blue. Their HTML codes and Pantone equivalents can be found on the Department of State's style guide. 

I love to see decorated bikes displayed in yards or in a parade!

• There are federal regulations governing the handling and display of the flag (the U.S. Flag Code), including restrictions on using the flag's likeness for advertising, or printing it on anything intended "for temporary use or discard," like cocktail napkins or paper plates. Under the Flag Protection Act of 1989, there are also federal laws that call for criminal penalties for certain forms of flag desecration, although the Supreme Court found this act to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment in 1990. It is my hope that some day we can move back that court decision to protect our flag pre-1990! 

• Old Glory was actually the nickname of a specific U.S. Flag owned by sea captain William Driver. He was previously given the flag by the women in his hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, but he only named it Old Glory when he saw it flying on his ship's mast in 1831. The name later went on to become synonymous with any American flag. I love the name "Old Glory" for our flag, don't you?

• Despite the harsh temperatures and conditions of the moon's atmosphere, five of the six flags that were planted during the Apollo missions are still standing. According to Buzz Aldrin, the one that fell was blown over by the exhaust from Apollo 11 during its liftoff from the moon's surface.

Won't you join me in proudly flying our American flag this flag day? (Sunday, June 14th) Wouldn't it be a spectacular site to see every home and business fly our flag? That would speak volumes to other countries!