Savvy Entertaining

Monday, June 14, is Flag Day.  A great day to put out some red, white and blue decorations and celebrate with family and friends.

From the information I gathered, Flag Day’s history goes back to 1885 when schoolteacher  BJ Cigrand arranged for  students  in the Fredonia, Wisconsin, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’.

George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned festivities for the children of his school on June 14, 1889, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. The Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration June 14, 1891, and the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.

The Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in positions of authority as well as all private citizens to display the Flag June 14.

The governor of New York directed that on June 14, 1894,  the Flag be displayed on all public buildings.

Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in presented a speech that he said was given him by the Flag that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”

Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.

Plan a get together to celebrate Flag Day. It doesn’t have to be complicated. You could serve something as simple as blue and white corn chips with salsa and sugar cookies topped with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Flags should be the highlight of your celebration. Make sure you are flying one outside and use small flags throughout your buffet table or centerpieces.

The ingredients for a simple centerpiece. I would recommend purchasing a bag of patriotic M&Ms over picking out the appropriate colored ones. Although that does give you a reason to eat 2/3 of the bag before the guests show up!

Put out some fun and festive decorations. You can fill small canning jars with red and blue candy then tie with a festive bow.  Line them down the center of your table or tuck them in among your buffet. You could also put at each place setting if you were doing a family-style meal with a little name place card on a flag in each jar. You could also use the same little jars to stagger red, white and blue candles down the center of your table.

Cute little jar of patriotic M&Ms makes a fun accent for your table. As long as you aren't a peanut M&M freak and can stay out of them unlike some people who will remain nameless.

You can give your guests a fun take-away by putting red, white and blue M&Ms (or any red, white or blue candy) in a festive cupcake paper then making a little bag out of plastic wrap. Secure with a rubber band and tie with a ribbon. Who wouldn’t love to leave a party with one of these edible and festive gifts.

A fun take-away for guests is a bag of patriotic treats. Have them in a basket by the door for an easy way to pass them to guests when they are ready to depart.

Keep your entertaining casual and simple and focus on connecting with those gathered in your home.

Happy Entertaining!

Shanna