Flag Day observed at Mount Wachusett Community College in a special way
The traditional field of red, white and blue has returned to the entrance at Mount Wachusett Community College. A display of about 2,000 American flags honoring Flag Day, June 14, was put in place by personnel from the Salvation Army Service Units and Veterans Committee and joined by volunteers from MWCC on Friday morning.
Among those volunteering to place the flags were sisters Arie Voorheis and Brie Voorheis, who said their father is a veteran. Flying above the display is a 16-foot banner urging visitors to support local veterans. The banner was created by a student in the MWCC graphic design program.
The field of flags tradition began 12 years ago when Wil Leslie, service extension director, and former Mayor Mark Hawke first started erecting hundreds of flags on the lawn in front of City Hall. As the tradition grew, so did the need for a larger space, and that's when officials moved the field to the MWCC entrance.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the tradition, which helps raise critical funds for The Salvation Army's Veterans Fund at the entrance of MWCC. The fund allows The Salvation Army to provide emergency social services and other assistance to those who served their nation.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Flag Day display meaningful at Mount Wachusett Community College
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


American Press
3 hours ago
- American Press
Joseph 'Joe' Julius LeDoux Sr.
Msg. Joseph Julius LeDoux Sr. (Retired), 84, passed away peacefully with his family by him. Born and raised in Pine Island, La., Joe was a hunter and fisherman helping to provide for his family, but hunting was his passion. Joe went on to enlist in the United States Army. He and some buddies, while stationed in New York, went out on a blind date one night and that is where he met a 'YANKEE' name Phyllis, who later became his wife for 65 years. They faced wonderful times and turbulent times, but their marriage vows were seared into the hearts of each of them. Joe and Phyllis raised three great children. He enjoyed sharing history with his family, he and his family traveled to locations of American History. Joe Spent 22 years in the military in some form or fashion with active service and reserves. On Sept. 11, when the country was attacked, Joe was in a room with others at the Pentagon where they left that room approximately 20 minutes before the plane flew into the Pentagon, into that very room. Joe is survived by his wonderful wife, Phyllis LeDoux; a daughter, Kim Marie Garland; two sons, Joseph Julius LeDoux II and Dale Anthony LeDoux; four sisters, Shirley Shaw, Jane Ruff, Juanita Ardoin, and Veronica LeBlanc; sister-in-law, Laura LeDoux; two grandchildren, Kyle LeDoux and Haley LeDoux; six great-grandchildren, Cooper, Tiffani, Brittany, Joanna, Camilla, and Michael; four great-great-grandchildren, Tyreek, Arriana, Brandon, and Brianna. Preceding him in death is his sister, Anna Faul; three brothers, Paul LeDoux, James LeDoux, and John LeDoux; grandson, Michael Garner, and his parents, Eugene and Hannah LeDoux. The family will welcome relatives and friends on Monday, June 23, 2025 at Hixson Funeral Home of Lake Charles beginning at 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. with a rosary to prayed at 5 p.m. Visitation will resume on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 at 11 a.m. until the procession leaves for the church at 2 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady Queen of Heaven at 2:30 p.m. Burial will follow at Pine Island Cemetery. Msgr. Daniel Torres will officiate at the services. The family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to Heart of Hospice and the family and friends who assisted with Joe's care. Please leave fond memories for the LeDoux family at


Boston Globe
8 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Today in History: June 21, US Constitution becomes law
Advertisement In 1834, Cyrus Hall McCormick received a patent for his mechanical reaper. In 1893, the first Ferris wheel opened to the public as part of the Chicago World's Fair. In 1942, an Imperial Japanese submarine fired shells at Fort Stevens on the Oregon coast, but caused little damage. In 1954, scientists of the American Cancer Society presented a study to a meeting of the American Medical Association in San Francisco, Calif., which found that men who regularly smoked cigarettes died, particularly from lung cancer, at a considerably higher rate than non-smokers. In 1964, civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were murdered in Neshoba County, Miss. Their bodies were found buried in an earthen dam six weeks later. (Forty-one years later, on this date in 2005, Edgar Ray Killen, an 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klansman, was found guilty of manslaughter in their deaths; he was sentenced to 60 years in prison, where he died in January 2018.) Advertisement In 1982, a jury in Washington, D.C., found John Hinckley Jr. not guilty by reason of insanity in the shootings of President Ronald Reagan, Press Secretary James Brady, Washington D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty, and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. In 1989, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled, in Texas v. Johnson, that burning the American flag as a form of political protest was protected by the First Amendment. In 1997, the WNBA made its debut as the New York Liberty defeated the host Los Angeles Sparks 67-57. In 2004, the aircraft SpaceShipOne made the first privately funded human spaceflight. In 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistan-born US citizen, pleaded guilty to charges of plotting a failed car bombing in New York's Times Square. (Shahzad was later sentenced to life in prison.)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What does Juneteenth celebrate? Meaning and origins, explained
This Thursday marks 160 years since the origin of Juneteenth, which commemorates the day the last group of enslaved people found out they had been freed. Long a holiday in the Black community and now federally recognized, the celebrations kick off each June 19, allowing people to gather, dance, reenact pivotal moments in history, and more. Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom and opportunity, said Sam Collins, who is on the trustee board for the Rosenberg Library in Galveston, often called 'Professor Juneteenth.' 'It's not so much about slavery as it is about the freedom from slavery and what it allowed for the former enslaved people to live their lives free, to marry, to learn to read, to educate themselves, to have self agency over their bodies, to keep their families together,' he told USA TODAY on June 10. Here's what to know about Juneteenth, how it began, and how it's celebrated today. Juneteenth is a commemoration of the events that took place 160 years ago in Galveston, Texas, about 57 miles southeast of Houston. Calling it an 'often overlooked event in our nation's history,' the National Museum of African American History said Juneteenth occurred two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in rebellious states. That day, on June 19, 1865, Union troops freed enslaved African Americans in Galveston Bay and across Texas. 'This is American history, world history, Texas history, and most of all, Galveston history, because Galveston, Texas is the birthplace of Juneteenth,' said Collins, a seventh generation Texan. Collins said formerly enslaved people celebrated after June 1865, but festivities died off for a while. In 1879, politician Robert Evans introduced a bill to celebrate Black emancipation, but the bill did not garner enough support during the Jim Crow era, Collins said. Juneteenth celebrations began to regain popularity again in the 1970s and early 1980s, after another Texas politician, Albert Ely Edwards, pushed for Juneteenth to become a state holiday, Collins said. 'There are many ancestors and elders that kept the oral history going until we made it to 2021 and it became a national holiday,' he said. 'And the truth of the matter (is that) if it wasn't for the murder of George Floyd, Juneteenth would not have become a national holiday in 2021.' Retired teacher and educator Opal Lee, known as the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth,' started a petition to federally recognize Juneteenth in October 2019. Not many people signed, but immediately following Floyd's murder and the protests that ensued, her petition jumped significantly and garnered over 1.6 million signatures. In June 2021, then-president Joe Biden declared June 19 a national holiday. Lee was present that day. Upon hearing the news, Collins said he thought of all those who pushed to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, including Rev. Ronald V. Myers Sr., who founded the National Juneteenth Observers Foundation before his death in 2018. 'I wish they had lived to see it,' he said. Today, Juneteenth has become commercialized, celebrated with Juneteenth cups and t-shirts and other memorabilia, Collins said. Junteenth celebrations usually feature flags such as a red, white and blue flag with a star in the center, the same colors as the American flag, Collins said. There's also the Pan African colors, or red, black and green. For previous Juneteenth celebrations, Black people would often celebrate with whatever food and drinks were available, such as red drinks or red punch as opposed to water. Watermelon is often enjoyed as it's easy to cut up and disperse, almost like a cake, he said. Today, there are also Juneteenth pageants, parades, and festivals with music and speeches. Some people believe individuals can't celebrate both Juneteenth and the Fourth of July, but this isn't the case, Collins said. 'The Fourth of July is a freedom birthday for the country, and June 19 is a freedom birthday for the formerly enslaved,' he told USA TODAY. He also stressed that there were people living in what is now known as the United States before 1776. When historians and community members talk about Juneteenth, it's important not to forget Indigenous people, he said. Juneteenth also isn't just a Texas holiday, and it isn't only for Black people, he said. It's for everyone to celebrate freedom and liberty. Collins thinks of the history of the U.S. as a salad, made up of different stories. Each date, holiday, and event helps to complete the salad, he said. 'By adding Juneteenth, the national holiday, we flavor up the history, and we expand the narrative to tell the full story of the contributions of everyone in the history of everyone in our community,' he said. Even Cinco De Mayo is tied to Juneteenth, Collins said. On May 5, 1862, a Mexican army defeated French forces in the Battle of Puebla. French Emperor Napoleon III had plans to provide the Confederacy with guns in exchange for cotton, but the French were defeated and didn't return until about a year later in May 1863. Some historians believe this pushback allowed then-president Abraham Lincoln's generals to win Union victories before the French could give the Confederacy 'upgraded artillery and munitions,' per 'We need to acknowledge all of this history and tell the full story,' Collins said 'The national holiday helps to repair the foundation of our American history's story.' Contributing: Matthew Brown, Chelsey Cox, and N'dea Yancey-Bragg Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is Juneteenth? Explaining the holiday's meaning and origins