Long may she wave

It is Flag Day, and I hope you all have your flags flying high (and correctly displayed; remember to take them down before sunset if you don't have them lighted). Did you know that Flag Day has a distinctly Wisconsin connection?

Bernard J. Cigrand was working in a little one-room schoolhouse in Waubeka, Wisconsin when he held what is recognized as the first formal observance of Flag Day in 1885.

The schoolhouse has been restored, and for years was a regular part of our Awana kids' annual overnight trip to camp. We gathered around the flagpole as the docents led us through raising the flag and saying the pledge, then trooped into the schoolhouse to learn more about Flag Day.

Dr. Cigrand gave over two thousand speeches on patriotism and the flag, speaking all around the country. Would that we had someone doing the same today!