May 31, 2023

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

Fly the Flag, Honor Your Father and Savor the Summer Solstice

By Eloise Graham

June 14 is National Flag Day. The date of June 14 commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States on June 14, 1777, by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that June 14 be the nationwide observance called Flag Day. President Calvin Coolidge did the same in 1927. But it wasn’t until August 3, 1949 that Congress approved the national observance and President Harry Truman signed it into law. Flag Day is not included in the 1968 Uniform Holiday Act. Flag Day is not an official
federal holiday. It is a commemorative day to honor and learn about our flag.

What should you do on Flag Day? Learn about the flag. Often this day is celebrated with parades, essay contests, ceremonies and picnics sponsored by veterans groups, schools and the National Flag Day foundation. Their goal is to preserve the traditions, history, pride and respect that are due the nation’s symbol known as Old Glory.

Father’s Day 2023 is Sunday, June 18. Father’s Day is designated to be observed on the third Sunday in June. The first Father’s Day observance occurred in Fairmont, West Virginia, on July 5, 1908. Hundreds of men died in the worst mining accident in U.S. history. Grace Golden Clayton proposed a service be held to honor all fathers, especially those who had died. In 1910, Father’s Day celebration on the third Sunday in June was started in Spokane, Washington, at the YMCA. I have heard it said (this was BCP – Before Cell Phones) that the most phone calls made in one day were on Mother’s Day, but Father’s Day led the number of collect calls.

The 2023 summer solstice will occur on Wednesday, June 21 at 9:57 AM central daylight time. I am not for sure how the meteorologists figure the exact hour and if the day is going to be the 21st or 22nd of June, but they seem to have some formula for that. Another solstice fact is that it occurs when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun. That’s a little too scientific for me. I just know I love the sunshine. I look forward to the longest day of the year.

But then I also feel some sadness – from this point on, the days get shorter. I love waking up to some light outside. Dawn is a peaceful time to awaken. For me, June is a great “early morning” month, and part of July, too. But by August, it is already dark first thing in the morning. If I recall right, we lose 1 1/2  to 2 seconds per day after the summer solstice. That means by late July we have already lost approximately an hour of daylight, 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening.

I am gearing up to embrace the summer solstice and everything else June has to offer.

Filed Under: Community, History

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