Photo by Zachary Kaufman
The Columbian
Tricia French of Vancouver attends the annual Flag Day observance Monday on the parade ground at Vancouver Barracks with her children, from left, Austin, 3; Isabelle, 5; Robert, 8; and Talia, 4 months.
Washougal Mayor Sean Guard and his bunting bow tie shared first place in the patriotic necktie contest with Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt sports a tie designed by SethAaron Henderson of Vancouver, the most recent ‘Project Runway’ winner.
Did you know ?
• In 1949, President Harry S. Truman designated June 14 as Flag Day.
Vancouver, WA — It was a history lesson, a civics class and a fashion show Monday — wrapped in red, white and blue.
Vancouver’s observance of Flag Day was a good opportunity for Tricia French to bring her four children to the Vancouver Barracks parade ground.
“I’ve been teaching my kids about the flag,” French said.
The Vancouver mom is home-schooling 8-year-old Robert, and Monday’s observance fit right into their lesson plan, she said.
Elements of the presentation will provide learning opportunities, she said, when “We talk about the founding fathers.”
Costumed fifth-graders from Vancouver’s Marshall Elementary School provided some Colonial-era commentary. And the students from Marshall — named for the general who once lived right across the street from the parade ground — filled another role in the celebration. They judged a fashion contest among five Clark County mayors.
It was a neck-and-neck competition: a patriotic necktie contest. And fittingly enough, it ended in a tie.
Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt shared top honors with Washougal Mayor Sean Guard, in a showdown between two distinctly different approaches to star-spangled style.
Leavitt entered the arena sporting a tie created by a celebrity designer who happens to be a Vancouver resident.
“You might have heard of SethAaron Henderson,” Leavitt said. “He won Season 7 of ‘Project Runway.’”
And Guard? His approach was more along the lines of “Project Run To The Store.”
The Washougal mayor said he went to eight different stores, actually, and they all told him to come back in July.
One clerk did offer another option: “We have a flag on sale. You can cut it up and make a tie out of it,” the clerk told Guard.
“I’m not sure desecrating a flag is the best way to win a patriotic necktie contest,” Guard said.
Instead, Guard settled on bunting that served as a clip-on bow tie. “Not bad for $1.99,” Guard said.
Battle Ground Mayor Mike Ciraulo, Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow and Marilee McCall, Woodland’s mayor pro tem, represented their cities.
The ceremony featured presentations of “God Bless America” by the Columbia River Chorus of the Sweet Adelines, and “America The Beautiful” by Kyra Smith, who just graduated from Mountain View High School.
Phil Haberthur, winner of the 2009 Marshall Public Leadership Award, discussed the evolution of the Pledge of Allegiance, written in 1892 as a pledge to “my flag.”
Lyndsey Elhart, winner of the 2010 Marshall Youth Leadership Award, discussed some historical highlights of the flag, including its emergency use after President Abraham Lincoln was shot in 1865.
Somebody grabbed the 36-star flag hanging from the front of Lincoln’s theater box, folded it into a cushion and placed it under the head of the mortally wounded president.
“It continues to stand for peace, freedom and justice,” said Elhart, who will be graduating from Hudson’s Bay High School.
Monday’s celebration was the 10th annual Flag Day observance organized by the Celebrate Freedom program of the Fort Vancouver National Trust. It was sponsored by Veolia Water.
About a 50 ft branch had fallen into our yard. Luckily it didn't land on our fence or any part of our house!
Our lilies are out..
Belly graduated from Preschool this week. She was so cute performing little songs for us. She is sad to leave "Miss Connie", but so excited to be in Kindergarten next year!
Robert had his last day at the Homeschool Connection. Here is his main teacher, Mrs. Robertson.
and his friends Micah, Clark, and James.
We have started a new project on our stairs going to the garage. The plan is to take off the carpet and replace it with oak on the top and tile on the face. 
