Flags were flipping and flapping in the breeze – a sea of red, white and blue.

The Lincoln Park Exchange Club, in conjunction with the City’s Historical Society, posted on social media about a special event to be held in Memorial Park in conjunction with America’s 250th birthday and no, it wasn’t a gigantic cake like we had for the City’s 100th birthday last year.

There was also a marquee in the park displaying the official America 250 logo commemorating the 250th birthday of the U.S.

There would be 250 flags, one flag representing each year since 1776 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. There would be different flags, ranging in the amount of stars and stripes as more states were added to the Union, including the Betsy Ross flag to the Star Spangled Banner flag we know today.

I’ve visited and written about other flag events like Field of Flags or even the annual Memorial Day flags honoring the Lincoln Park veterans who lost their lives in World Wars I and II, plus the Korean, Vietnam and Iraq conflicts. The Exchange Club always does a nice job for these events.

The display commenced on Flag Day, June 14th and ran through 4th of July weekend. I decided to meander over there on June 15th as we had multiple bouts of severe weather on the horizon – no telling what havoc would be wreaked after Mother Nature had her way with the display, as wicked winds, torrential downpours and hail, even a tornado, were all predicted.

As with previous displays, I’ll admit there is no good way to capture the panoramic view with my eyes, let alone with the camera – many of the 250 flags were bound to be left out.

So, as I strolled through the massive display, I decided to take some group shots of the flags (seen up top), then hone in on some of the individual years and different flags.

Well, that was an idea that sounded good, but there was already a bit of a breeze when I arrived at the park. I thought the “gentle breeze” mentioned on the weather report that morning would stir the flags a little, providing for nice shots. By the time I got home, wind gusts were at 18 mph.

So, I did the best I could at any rate. Here are some groups of flags down the walkways …

… and, here is another angle. They had several floodlights turned on, used to light the display at night, even though sunrise had already come and was long gone. Generators powered each of the floodlights which you see in the next two shots.

Occasionally, that gentle breeze kicked up a notch or two and flags were flapping wildly.

I was the only person at the flag display, but admittedly, having the heavy material fluttering wildly near my head (I ducked a few times) and especially my shoulder, would have made me think someone was trying to get my attention by tapping on my shoulder. 🙂

I decided to get a quick video to show you how out of control those flipping flags really were but that idea fizzled out fast and I didn’t try again.

Checking out the flags and their stories.

Each flag had a hangtag with info about the specific year, including a brief history, plus what type of flag was flying at that time, or how many stars were on a particular flag …

… or even how many stripes the flag had (you’ll see what I mean later).

It wasn’t just the flags fluttering but the hangtags were prone to flipping over, but I still got a few clear shots, like this Betsy Ross flag from 1787 …

… here you see the 1787 flag and another Betsy Ross flag nearby.

Below is how the Star Spangled Banner looked in 1800, at the turn of the century.

This is an example of the flip side of the tag showing the year 1814’s historical events.

For you history buffs out there, the 1814 flag was significant for this 15-15 reason:

I also paused to see “my” flag from my birth year, 1956 …

… and the flag for 1976 since, as you know from my recent post, I remember the Bicentennial year very well.

But, on a personal note, the “In Memory of” tag i.e. the person remembered from the year 1976, Bob O’Brien, was someone I knew well and originally met while working at Carter’s.

The owners of the Lincoln Park Roller Rink, father and son, Lyle and Jim Seat, had lunch there every day; Bob was their employee and always joined them once he finished high school. Just like his employers, Bob was quick on his roller skates and would help keep the crowds in line, especially on weekends. The roller rink was a hoppin’ place back in the day and that’s how Bob met his future wife Judy. She would often meet him at Carter’s for lunch and I got to know them well and was invited to their 1976 wedding. Shortly thereafter they became my next-door neighbors, but moved away a few years later. Bob worked fulltime at an unrelated job, but he and Judy managed the roller rink together until 2017. Bob was active in the Shriners helping children for many years until his passing in 2023. So, it was nice to see the flag tag commemorating their marriage … 1976 was a magical year for them, just like it was for me.

At the far end of the park, was the very last flag, representing the current year.

The 2026 flag was sponsored by United Rentals (the generator/floodlights and likely more in conjunction with the event).

There were several other sponsors as seen on this sign.

Also of note is the display of the Declaration of Independence, flanked by the official logo of America’s 250th birthday. The Declaration of Independence double-sided display was made of material and the wind was sending ripples cascading through that material.

As most of you know I am not an American citizen – I am Canadian.  My parents and I emigrated to Southeast Michigan from Oakville, Ontario 60 years ago, on July 8, 1966. 

It seems like I have marked a lot of personal decade milestones this year, beginning with what would have been my late mother’s 100th birthday on February 14, then me turning 20 years old and graduating with my Associates degree/leaving HFCC behind with many fond memories in 1976.  My grandmother was born in 1906 and passed away in 1986, so it was 40 years this January since she passed away.

So, living here 60 of my 70 years is just another milestone ….

I am linking this post to Terri’s Sunday Stills Challenge: Groups and Pepper’s One Step at a Time.