Old Glory. For many of us in Superiorland and, indeed, elsewhere, our flag is an all-but sacred symbol of sacrifice and freedom. Many of us fly the flag at our homes or places of business. And units of government at all levels typically have flags placed near the entrance to buildings and grounds.

Today is Flag Day, commemorating June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress determined the composition of the nation’s banner: “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

President Woodrow Wilson issued a 1916 proclamation of June 14 as Flag Day and in 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the formal observance into law. And it falls during Flag Week, after another congressional dictum in 1966.

Waubeka, Wisconsin lays claim to being the birthplace of Flag Day, thanks to a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, The Associated Press reported. The flag is so important that its history tells the story of America itself. It represents the freedom, dignity and true meaning of being an American. It has been with us through our war times, our sad times, but also in times of our greatest joys and triumphs.

What about July 4? Yes, Independence Day makes prominent use of the flag. But the emblem is important enough to have its own day, according to David Janik, a Waubeka native and second-generation president of the National Flag Day Foundation.

“July 4th, we’re celebrating our independence,” Janik said in a previous interview. “But on Flag Day, we’re celebrating the birth of our flag, which is the symbol of our country, the symbol that is seen all around the world as the helper, the people who won’t leave you out in the cold.”

Flag Day isn’t like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and a smattering of other federal holidays that generally mean Americans can spend the day off work.

Instead, it’s officially recognized nationwide, and government services are still open and the mail still gets delivered. Only Pennsylvania marks it as a state holiday, allowing residents to stay home from work and school.

But another backyard barbecue isn’t required to feel the love in Waubeka.

“Our passion for the flag here is very deep,” Janik said. “The flag is the symbol of our country — it symbolizes individualism, success, loss, daring, chivalry. People need a compass to guide them, and the flag is a great compass.”

If you haven’t already done so, Friday would be a great day to break out that most famous of American symbols and hang it proudly in front of your house. That is a gesture that surely all US citizens can get behind. And, before we know it, Independence Day will be upon us.