Flag Day in the Nation’s Oldest City

John Reardon reported to Historic City News that on Flag Day, Saturday, June 14th, St Augustine and St Johns County residents can participate in a national display of patriotism when Americans around the nation will raise their voices and come together to turn the national anthem into “the song that was heard around the world”.

During this once-in-a-lifetime event to commemorate the Star-Spangled Banner’s bicentennial anniversary, Americans will join in the singing of our national anthem with celebrated musical voices.

Americans will host singing parties to celebrate the anniversary and sing the anthem together. The local partner sing location for our area is in front of the Lightner Museum building and City Hall located at 75 King Street in St Augustine, Reardon said. There is up to date information on the facebook event page.

The Smithsonian will host Washington, D.C.’s premier singing party live on the National Mall, which will be aired via a 90-minute webcast from 2:30 to 4:00 PM EDT. The live event will include musical performances from America’s top artists and the singing of American patriotic songs by national music groups. This will all lead to the culminating “moment of national unity” at 4:00 PM EDT when America will stop to sing their Anthem live across the country and around the globe.

“This will be a uniting moment for Americans across the country and around the world,” Reardon told Historic City News local reporters.

Two hundred years ago, Francis Scott Key, inspired by the sight of the flag’s “broad stripes and bright stars,” penned the lyrics that would become the national anthem. His words gave new significance to a national symbol and started a tradition through which generations of Americans have invested the flag with their own ideals and memories. Today, the Star-Spangled Banner is one of our nation’s most treasured artifacts, cared for and displayed at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.