‘Patriot Flag’ comes to Bartlett Thursday evening

The Patriot Flag, which is stopping in all 50 states in 50 weeks, will be in Bartlett for a special event at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 7, at the Bartlett Community Center, 700 S. Bartlett Road.

The public is invited to join the Bartlett Fire Protection District for this memorable event.

Attendees will be able to sign a trimmed section of the flag, a guest book and banners to honor 9/11 responders.

The Patriot Flag is a tribute to first and second responders; the 9/11 families; those who died on 9/11; all public safety personnel on the job today; and the American armed forces.

It was donated to the World Memorial by a group of businessmen through the American Legion, a testament to what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, and how the country responded on Sept. 12.

The cross-country tour began in San Diego Sept. 10, 2010, and ends back in San Diego Sept. 2, 2011. By the end of September 2011, the flag will have flown in all 50 states.

During the week of Sept. 11, it will be flown in New York City, Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon.

Here in Bartlett, the 30-by-57-foot flag will be raised by the Bartlett Fire District’s ladder truck.

An official retirement ceremony (date TBA) for the flag will be performed back in Escondido, Calif., where it flew for approximately eight months before it was donated to the World Memorial.

It will then be placed on display in an appropriate location, to be announced.

For more information on the flag, visit www.thepatriotflag.us.