Flag Day 2026

Flag Day – Sunday, June 14, 2026

As we celebrate Flag Day, we encourage all residents of Rocky River to fly our nation’s flag as a symbol of our freedom. Residents can pick up Honor Flags at no cost, to display on Flag Day at their home or neighborhood. These flags are called Honor Flags as they were previously placed on the graves of veterans in recognition of their service to our country. The flags can be picked up at several locations including Rocky River City Hall, Rocky River Senior Center, and the Rocky River Recreation Department. Thank you to Lakewood Park Cemetery for their generous contribution of Honor Flags for our community.

On June 14, as a community we will celebrate and honor Flag Day – a day that calls us not just to look at the red, white and blue, the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, but to reflect and remember what our flag truly stands for – it is our nation’s most visible and recognizable symbol – not just a symbol of the United States, but an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of our new nation and its 13 original colonies/states – 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 white, 5-pointed stars on a dark blue field called the Union. In 1782, The Continental Congress reaffirmed the colors of the flag, stating – red for hardiness, valor and courage, white for purity and innocence, blue for vigilance, perseverance and justice. These colors have remained constant and unchanged throughout our history.

Since that time our flag has flown over battlefields and schoolyards, city halls and farmhouses. It has been raised in triumph and draped in solemn honor. When Marines raised it at Iwo Jima during WW II. We remember it being planted on 9-11 at ground zero providing unity, strength and resolve to our nation. We think of the pride we feel during the Olympics when our flag is raised, and we recall the image of our flag unfurled stiffly on the rocky surface of the moon – Six times beginning with Neil Armstrong and Apollo 11 (12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) Our flag has been carried by generations of Americans who believed in something greater than themselves. It has become a powerful beacon of democracy, freedom, liberty, justice and opportunity around the world

President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed flag day as June 14 in 1916, but it didn’t receive a Congressional designation until 1949. There have been twenty-seven versions of the flag over the years. In 1959, Hawaii became the 50th State in the Union and in 1960 its star was added to the flag. The current flag is the only U.S. flag that has remained the same for more than 50 years.

Interestingly, the current American flag was designed by a high school student from Lancaster, Ohio, named Bob Heft. Even though Bob’s history teacher gave him a B- for not knowing how many states the union had, Bob submitted a design to the White House in anticipation of Alaska and Hawaii joining the Union. To his surprise, President Eisenhower called him. Today, it’s his 1958 design – which shows 50 stars in a field that includes five rows of six stars and alternating four rows of five stars – which is now our 50-star American flag. It’s been said that his teacher changed his grade to an A.

For all of us, our flag is more than fabric – it is a living symbol of our unity, our history and our shared values. Each star represents a state, and each stripe a part of the journey our country has taken. But just as important as what the flag represents is what we bring to it – the way we live out its meaning in our own hearts, in our families, and in our community.

Today, let’s honor the men and women who have defended our flag – in uniform and in spirit. Our flag is a symbol of service and pride for millions of veterans. Let’s recommit ourselves to the ideals it represents: liberty and justice for all, as we just recited. Let us remember that our flag belongs to every American, no matter who they are, where they come from, or how they pray.

And as we stand under its colors, may it remind us that we are one nation – imperfect, but indivisible, still striving, still strong. May our flag always wave proudly over a land of courage, compassion and steadfast commitment to its ideals.

Mayor Pam Bobst

City of Rocky River, Ohio

To learn more about how to display the American flag properly, please visit: What is an Honor Flag?

To learn more about what an Honor Flag is, please visit: How to Display Old Glory