WAKEFIELD — The weather forecast this evening calls for severe thunderstorms. As a result, the 2024 Wakefield Flag Day Ceremony will be held indoors in the Heritage Room at the Americal Civic Center, 467 Main St, Wakefield, MA, starting at 6 p.m.
Family and friends are invited to witness this annual ceremony honoring our nation’s flag, a symbol of freedom and sacrifice.
Members of the American Legion Post 63, Scouts Troop 701, and special guests will participate in the ceremony. A key component of the event will be a flag-disposal ceremony where flags no longer fit for display will be properly retired.
On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag for the United States. According to the National Archives, the flag was designed by Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. “The flag was originally intended to be used as a naval sign. However, growing nationalism around the world during the 18th century led many countries to establish a national flag, the United States included. It is unclear how or why Congress selected Hopkinson’s design for this honor.”
President Woodrow Wilson officially established June 14 as Flag Day in 1916, and in 1949, Congress passed a law requiring the President to give an annual Flag Day Proclamation, encouraging Americans to honor the American flag during the week of June 14 by displaying it publicly.
Learn more about the United States Flag from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
