Despite the wet weather, this year’s Flag Day event, sponsored by the Emmaus Rotary Club, was a success.

Students, veterans, local dignitaries and spectators gathered in celebration of the ideals embodied in the American flag.

Sal Verrastro, president, Emmaus Rotary Club, welcomed all attendees and served as master of ceremonies. Following Verrastro’s opening remarks, members of American Legion Post #191, Marine Corps League Detachment #296, Boy Scout Troop 80 & Pack 25 advanced the colors and the Rev. Rebecca Mallozzi, minister of Faith Presbyterian Church, Emmaus, gave the invocation.

Throughout the program, the St. Ann School Chorus directed by Ariel Scholz performed appropriate musical numbers and led the audience in the singing of “God Bless America.”

Fifth and eighth grade student winners of the poetry and essay contests read their entries which addressed the topic, “What the American Flag Means to Me.”

The first prize in the fifth grade poetry contest was awarded to Winter Swartz; second to Adelyn Meier and third to Charlotte Song.

The grade eight essay contest was won by Zoe Burns, first place; Juliet Rodriguez, second place and Benjamin Harris, third place.

Song and Rodriquez were unable to attend the program; their pieces were read by Emmaus Rotary Flag Day committee member Ceil Birdsell and Eyer Middle School teacher Lynn Dreisbach, respectively.

The students’ appreciation of the flag and its significance were often both idealistic and personal. As Rodriguez wrote, “It [the flag] is not just a symbol of our nation’s history and values, but a representation of the sacrifices and hardship my parents endured to come to this country in pursuit of a better life …”

Keynote speaker Staff Sgt. Patrick J. Cubbage, U.S. Army Vietnam veteran of the 173rd Airborne Brigade then brought history to life with his description of the Battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

The garrison was subjected to 27 hours of bombardment by British warships. On the morning of Sept. 14, the American troops lowered their battered standard flag and raised a 30-by-42-foot American flag.

The assault had failed and the British retreated.

Francis Scott Key, being held as a hostage on a British warship, was inspired to write the poem that evolved into “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

After Cubbage’s presentation, the dignitaries were recognized, the colors retired, the pictures snapped and the crowd departed.

Hopefully, the idealism and faith the young writers expressed has remained.