FOR RELEASE JUNE 5, 2023 Contact: Linda Schielke, Flag Day Committee Chair Lschielke@hotmail.com
BATAVIA CELEBRATES FLAG DAY
BATAVIA, Il (June 5, 2023) – The City of Batavia will celebrate its special connection to Flag Day with a celebration 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, June 14, at the Peg Bond Center and Batavia Riverwalk, 151 N. Island Ave.
The Flag Day Celebration will include a free concert by the Batavia Community Band and the Chorus of DuPage – a male barbershop chorus. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
The Flag Day Celebration is also an opportunity to learn about Batavia’s Flag Day Monument. The monument honors the life of longtime Batavia dentist Dr. Bernard Cigrand who was one of the founders of Flag Day. Dr. Cigrand worked tirelessly to promote a day of recognition for the American flag and on June 14, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed such a day throughout the United States.
The Flag Day Monument design features a 40-foot diameter helix monument with a 10-foot-wide walkway around the perimeter. The 50-foot-tall flagpole will display a 10-by-18-foot flag. Elements of the monument commemorate iconic flag events, the U.S. population growth, the official flags flown by the U.S., armed conflicts, and a Ring of Honor with the names of those who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. The monument will also feature a Sundial Learning Center, as the flagpole serves as a sundial and will highlight historic events.
Additionally, the monument will feature bricks purchased by families, businesses, and organizations. Visit flagdaymonument.com for details on purchasing bricks.
Visitors to the June 14 Flag Day Celebration can learn about the monument’s progress and sign the Flag Day banner that will be included in a time capsule which will be installed in the monument this fall. The monument is scheduled to be open to the public Oct. 1.
