For the 75th time, the Irish flag Thursday morning was hoisted in front of the Clark County Courthouse to commemorate St. Patrick’s Day.
The tradition was started in 1936 by Denny Lane, who was Vancouver’s first constable and lived off Seventh Street, just blocks from the courthouse. As the flag went up in the air, all eyes turned toward 2-year-old Kennedy Klein.
It’ll be up to the “grandchildren and great-grandchildren before long to carry the tradition on,” said Mike Klein, 62, one of Lane’s grandchildren.
Kennedy, in white pants dotted with green, a pink raincoat and green ribbons tied around her pigtails, was all smiles, despite the chilly, rainy morning.
About 30 members of Lane’s family gathered around the flagpole on the south lawn of the courthouse at 9 a.m., sending the green, white and orange Irish flag to the top of the pole, usually reserved solely for the American flag.
Lane raised the flag every year for 30 years until he died in 1966 at the age of 89. His grandson, Terry Klein, 58, has taken the lead in making sure the tradition endures.
“To another 75 years,” Terry Klein said as the flag went up.
When family members huddled together for a picture, they broke out in smiles by not saying “cheese,” but “Denny.”
Lane wrote about Irish virtues and culture every St. Patrick’s Day for The Columbian’s editorial page, according to Terry Klein. In addition, he used to hand-deliver a sprig of shamrock, straight from the Emerald Isle, to the newspaper’s office.
This year’s Denny’s Day festivities continued over breakfast at O’Shansky’s and with the family’s entry into the 20th Annual Paddy Hough Parade, which left from Hough Elementary School and weaved through downtown Vancouver. They marched with the Irish flag on a pole, a bagpiper and a banner.
After the parade, Kaye Masco, 68, another of Lane’s grandchildren, said the family planned to look for a place to dance and partake in “all types of Irish activities.”
Masco smiled as she looked on at Kennedy, the youngest of Lane’s descendants. Echoing her brother Mike’s look forward, “It’ll be up to them,” Masco said.
