As we enjoy great food and fireworks with friends this 4th of July weekend, let’s not forget the reason we are able to celebrate our independence. Many brave men and women fought for our freedom in 1776, and our military today is still fighting to keep us free. We at Putman Plumbing would like to thank all of those brave soldiers, and hope you will do the same.
If you plan to display a flag at your residence or business, please be sure to follow proper US flag etiquette:
- The flag should never be dipped to any person or thing. It is flown upside down only as a distress signal.
- The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speaker’s desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general. Bunting of blue, white, and red stripes is available for these purposes. The blue stripe of bunting should be on the top.
- The flag should never be used for any advertising purposes. It should not be embroidered, printed, or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use.
- The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying or delivering anything.
- When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms.
- To store the flag, it should be folded neatly and ceremoniously.
- When it is displayed from the same flagpole with another flag – of a state, community, society or Scout unit – the flag of the United States must always be at the top (except that the church pennant may be flown above the flag during church services for Navy personnel when conducted by a Naval chaplain on a ship at sea).
- When the flag is displayed over a street, it should be hung vertically, with the union to the north or east. If the flag is suspended over a sidewalk, the flag’s union should be farthest from the building.
- When flown with flags of states, communities, or societies on separate flag poles of the same height and in a straight line, the flag of the United States is always placed in the position of honor – to its own right. The other flags may be smaller, but none may be larger. No other flag ever should be placed above it, and the flag of the United States is always the first flag raised and the last to be lowered.
We hope you’ll find lots of fun things to do this weekend. Check out Frederick’s 4th Independence Day Celebration. We hear they have a great fireworks display, and they’re even holding bathtub races down Culler Lake. Sure sounds fun to us!
