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Flag Day observance celebrates national, local traditions

Patriotic displays come in many colorful forms at Fort Vancouver event

By Tom Vogt, Columbian Science, Military & History Reporter
Published: June 14, 2017, 9:59pm
3 Photos
Steve Hogan, Camas mayor pro tem, from left, Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow, Yacolt Mayor Jeff Carothers and Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt display their patriotic ties Wednesday during Fort Vancouver’s 23rd annual Flag Day celebration.
Steve Hogan, Camas mayor pro tem, from left, Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow, Yacolt Mayor Jeff Carothers and Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt display their patriotic ties Wednesday during Fort Vancouver’s 23rd annual Flag Day celebration. (Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

So many stars, spangling so many patriotic displays.

They were visible from the American flag waving 80 feet overhead right down to ground level, where a local mayor sported red, white and blue shoes.

Wednesday’s 23rd observance of Flag Day at Fort Vancouver was an opportunity to celebrate traditions both national and local, including the Pledge of Allegiance and the annual Clark County mayors’ patriotic tie contest.

Six entrants from Battle Ground, Camas, Ridgefield, Vancouver, Woodland and Yacolt sported a total of seven ties in the competition at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

If the math doesn’t seem to work, stay with us. Yacolt Mayor Jeff Carothers used a double-barreled approach. As he took the microphone in the Parade Ground bandstand, Carothers explained that Yacolt is the only municipality in the county designated as a town, not a city.

Tie-wise, he didn’t know whether to go big or go small. So he wore one of each, displaying a massive tie that was completely covering a smaller one.

It turned out to be a winning strategy, as a panel of fifth-graders from Vancouver’s Marshall Elementary and Evergreen’s Sunset Elementary awarded Carothers this year’s prize.

A few other competitors also tried something of a mixed-media approach. Steve Hogan, Camas mayor pro tem, went with a red, white and blue ensemble: blue jacket with white stars, bright red pants, red-striped tie and white shirt. (Hogan was filling in for Mayor Scott Higgins, who had a family event.)

As Tim Leavitt showed off his flag-themed tie, the Vancouver mayor pointed out that he also was wearing star-spangled red, white and blue shoes for the occasion. They were a gift from his staff, he said after the event.

Since Leavitt isn’t running for mayor again, was this his first, last and only opportunity to wear those shoes?

“I can wear them on the Fourth of July,” Leavitt pointed out. “I might wear them to my final city council meeting.”

The program also had segments for fun historical facts. In a quiz pitting the Sunset fifth-graders against the mayors, a true-false question asked whether the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness were found in the Constitution. “False,” the students replied; they’re part of the Declaration of Independence.

Children’s activities were set up around the bandstand after the official ceremony. They include coloring and drawing Washington’s state symbols; patriotic songs; soldier-style marching; and landmark detecting.

The observance is formally called Fort Vancouver National Trust Flag Day Celebration presented by Davidson Insurance representing Pemco Insurance.

Heading into Flag Day, their downtown Vancouver office distributed 150 free American flags, Bryce Davidson said.

Flag Day at Fort Vancouver is one of several free Celebrate Freedom programs organized by the nonprofit Fort Vancouver National Trust.

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Columbian Science, Military & History Reporter