Waubeka, Wisconsin — the 'Birthplace of Flag Day' — celebrates the Stars and Stripes with passion

For centuries, the U.S. flag has represented the American spirit at its highest and lowest — from triumph when it was hoisted over Iwo Jima in World War II to resolve when it was raised at Ground Zero after 9/11. But Old Glory herself is venerated annually in Waubeka, Wisconsin, for Flag Day. June 14 marks the day in 1777 when Congress decreed the flag's design. Waubeka, in north suburban Milwaukee, lays claim to the first Flag Day — in 1885 when a local schoolteacher assigned his students essays on what the flag means. It became a federal observance in 1949 and Waubeka has celebrated it on the second Sunday in June for 78 years. The unincorporated village about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Milwaukee celebrates with a parade, patriotic music, and readings of winning essays about the flag's meaning written by schoolchildren from around the country. A dog named Harlow who turns 8 on Flag Day sported a red, white and blue boater on her head as she watched the parade. Yes, Independence Day makes prominent use of the flag. But the emblem is important enough to have its own day, according to David Janik, a Waubeka native and second-generation president of the National Flag Day Foundation. “July 4th, we’re celebrating our independence,” Janick said. "But on Flag Day, we’re celebrating the birth of our flag." Leonardo Frank, 13, of Milwaukee, came Sunday to celebrate a flag he says symbolizes freedom. Lima resident Sarah Woodke, 34, said she and her husband, a military veteran, want their children, 4 and 3, to know the history of the flag.