Entries still being accepted for Flag Day parade

The Waubeka Flag Day parade and gathering is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, and organizers are still accepting parade entries for those wishing to be part of the festivities.

Flag Day is observed annually on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the U.S. flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

While Flag Day is celebrated in communities throughout the country, the Waubeka celebration is a particularly special one because it is held where the holiday was created.

Bernard Cigrand, a teacher at Stony Hill School, held the first formal Flag Day with his students on June 14, 1885. He continued the holiday for years and eventually persuaded President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the day as a formal holiday in 1916.

This year’s event, coordinated by the National Flag Day Foundation, will begin at 11 a.m. with music at the Americanism Center, 4200 Valley View Dr. A program will follow at 11:30 a.m. before a parade of cars, trucks, floats and bands starts its route at 1:30 p.m.

Line up for those participating in the parade will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Decorated floats and cars participating in the parade will be judged in several categories and may win trophies for best in show. Marching band units will also receive participation plaques and trophies.

Following the parade, Family Day activities including food and games will begin at 3 p.m. and last through the evening. Music will begin at 5 p.m. and a large fireworks display will begin at dusk.

For questions, call the foundation at 483-2576.