On Flag Day, Saturday, June 14, 2014, Americans will “Raise it up!” and come together to participate in a large, unified event, turning the national anthem into “the song that was heard around the world. ” Sumner, Washington, is an official location for Raise It Up!, a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner and the anthem it inspired. Led from the National Mall in Washington, D. C., the vision is for Americans around the world to stop at 1 p.m., Pacific Standard Time and sing the National Anthem.
A large will gather around the gazebo in Reuben A. Knoblauch Heritage Park, just off Sumner’s classic Main Street. The Sumner singing will be filmed to share with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to commemorate this historic bicentennial celebration. Sumner will start checking people in at noon to help officially log how many people are helping sing. No talent is necessary, and enthusiasm is the only requirement.
If large groups such as church choirs, scout groups, or theater companies, plan to attend, please let the city of Sumner know by sending an email to carmenp@ci.sumner.wa.us.
Pierce County TV (PCTV) will be recording the singing at Sumner’s site to send to the Smithsonian for the archive of this event. All participants are encouraged to record their singing and send the video to the Smithsonian to break the world record for the largest online video album of people singing the same song.
Other participants include The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Maryland Historical Society, Florida’s Natural, National Museum of the United States Navy, Dumbarton House, an the National Park Service.
