The following is written by Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow:

Yesterday was Flag Day, and a small fact you may not know is that around Flag Day every year, the City replaces all our American flags with new ones and properly disposes of the old ones. We actually have a lot of flags including those at City Hall, the Sports Complex, the Traffic Avenue entrance, Heritage Park, Cemetery, etc. On the long “to do” list a City has, it may appear to be a small thing, but when you get to thinking about it, maybe it’s actually not.

These flags remind us that we are not an isolated community: we are part of a larger nation. And while people in D.C. are not worried specifically about what’s going on in Sumner, Washington, thousands of communities like ours make up the nature of this nation. Our flags proudly fly over our heads as we run errands, and in times of tragedy, which is happening with alarming frequency, they fly at half-staff in a very visual remembrance.

Unfortunately, this year, Flag Day dawned with yet another tragedy in Alexandria. Thankfully, it appears all victims will survive, but the incident is still disturbing. Perhaps it’s yet just one more reminder that no matter what our differences over local issues like transit, or national/world issues like global warming, we are indeed one community and one nation. Perhaps with this Flag Day passing, it’s a good time to all repeat the words of George M. Cohan: “You’re a grand old flag; you’re a high-flying flag, and forever in peace may you wave.”