The American flag will be 242 years old this year, and Limestone Countians are invited to come celebrate her birthday Friday as part of an annual event at Athens State University.

The school’s Flag Day celebration and cookout begins at noon at the Sandridge Student Center ballroom on the Athens State campus. The event will honor the flag and the nation’s armed forces, past and present.

Guest speaker will be Dr. Lionel Wright, assistant professor of business at Athens State. Music will be provided by Athens State Community Band and Copeland Road Barbershop Quartet.

The free ceremony is open to the public.

About Flag Day

According to History.com, in 1775, the Second Continental Army led to the creation of the first “American” flag. However, that flag was too similar to the British Union Jack, and George Washington requested a revision.

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution stating the “flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white.” Furthermore, the “union” was represented by 13 stars of white in a blue field, “representing a new constellation.”

More than a century later, a small-town Wisconsin teacher named Bernard Cigrand came up with the idea for an annual flag day in 1885. June 14 was selected because it marked the anniversary of the official adoption of the first flag. Cigrand led his school in the first formal observance of the holiday, and throughout his life continued to advocate for respect of the flag.

Various other organizations liked the idea of a day to honor the flag, including the State Board of Education of New York, the Betsy Ross House and the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution. On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established Flag Day by presidential proclamation. On Aug. 3, 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 as the official National Flag Day.

How to display a flag

Here’s how to display the flag properly, courtesy of Military.com:

• The flag should be free of any obstructions, such as power lines or tree limbs;

• If displayed with other flags, Old Glory should be at the top-most point or in the center of a horizontal array of flags;

• If the flag is displayed on its side, the blue field should be to the left;

• The flag should be raised in the morning at a residence or business and taken down at night. The only exception to the flag being out at night is if it’s illuminated; and

• Flags can be repaired. However, if a flag is tattered, it can be removed and brought to a local VFW hall for proper disposal.