Each year in Princeton, a town-wide celebration is organized by the Spirit of Princeton to honor the nation’s flag during National Flag Day in June.
Beginning at noon, the organization’s 21st ceremony will take place on June 14 at the Princeton Municipal Complex Plaza, which is located on 369 Witherspoon St.
“The flag is an important symbol for not only our country, but for what the country stands for, which is the rights and responsibilities we all have. The ceremony speaks to the respect we have for the flag and is also about how to properly dispose of our patterned flags,” said Mark Freda, the co-chair of Spirit of Princeton.
In the United States, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777, according to officials.
Entertainment for the celebration will be provided by the Garden Statesmen performing a barbershop quartet choral selections and Princeton Chief of Police Chris King, who will play the bagpipes.
The color guard of the Princeton Police Department will also take part in the ceremony, according to organization officials.
“We will also have a drum barrel where we can properly burn worn down flags. People throughout the year give us flags to properly dispose of,” Freda said. “We will burn some at the ceremony and dispose of the others at a later time.”
He said he feels they receive community support and attention for the yearly celebration.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day. Then 33 years later in August of 1949, National Flag Day was established by an Act of Congress.
“I hope people understand there is a group of us that are in Spirit of Princeton who are firmly committed to trying to promote patriotic events in the community. We think events such as Flag Day are important,” Freda said. “We get a number of veterans to our events and it is important that they are recognized. We want to thank those who are here and who are not.”
According to officials, the Spirit of Princeton is a non-profit and non-partisan community organization, whose mission is to support and implement events to honor the men and women who have served America.
For more information on the Flag Day celebration, visit www.spiritofprinceton.org.
