Thomas J. Kavanaugh VFW Post 2290

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

Every June 14, Americans raise the Stars and Stripes to mark the day the flag was born. The date is fixed, but the holiday behind it was anything but inevitable. It took a single line of congressional record, a devoted schoolteacher, and the better part of two centuries to turn an anniversary into a national observance.

The story begins in Philadelphia. On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a short but momentous resolution: "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." With those few words, a new nation gave itself a new symbol. There was no ceremony, no fanfare, no holiday. Just a young country, at war, deciding what it would fly.

A schoolteacher's idea

For more than a hundred years, the anniversary passed largely unmarked. Communities held the occasional observance, and Hartford, Connecticut, is often credited with one of the earliest, in 1861. But the man most responsible for turning June 14 into a tradition was not a politician or a general. He was a teacher.

In 1885, Bernard J. Cigrand, a young schoolteacher in Wisconsin, asked his students to observe what he called the flag's "birthday." He had them write essays on what the Stars and Stripes meant to them. It was a small gesture in a one-room schoolhouse, but Cigrand spent the rest of his life expanding it. He wrote articles, gave speeches, and pressed anyone who would listen to set aside a day for the flag. History remembers him as the Father of Flag Day.

One teacher believed the flag deserved a day of its own, and he never stopped saying so.
A proclamation and a law

The idea gathered momentum. Cities and states adopted their own celebrations, and patriotic societies took up the cause. The turning point came in 1916, when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation officially establishing June 14 as Flag Day across the country. For the first time, the anniversary had the weight of the presidency behind it.

Even then, it was an observance rather than a law. That final step came in 1949, when President Harry S. Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 as National Flag Day. What had begun as a schoolteacher's classroom exercise was now written into the statutes of the United States.

Source nationalflagfoundation.org

06/11/2026

Attention Foodies!

Chef Mark has something brewing for next Friday evening, June 19th. Save the date. 5-8pm

Updates coming soon.

06/06/2026

The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day (after the military term), it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of France and the rest of Western Europe, and laid the foundations for the Allied victory on the Western Front.
Sourse Wikipedia
Photo Library of Congress

05/24/2026

05/22/2026

05/16/2026

Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May to honor and recognize the men and women currently serving in the U.S. military. It falls on Saturday, May 16, during National Military Appreciation Month.
Thank you to all those serving 🇺🇸

05/11/2026

We are going to miss everyone for the summer while the kitchen staff takes a long-awaited break. However, Chef Mark has put together another menu that will knock your socks off!

First up is Roast Beef and gravy. This has been a staple of the VFW since the chef was a young child and is a favorite of everyone. The plate of thinly sliced roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy will melt in your mouth. You can't beat this dinner for under $20 bucks including tax.

Next up are a 1/2 Rack of Baby Back Ribs. Enjoy this meal with your choice of potato and a vegetable. Get ready to lick your fingers clean from the sweet BBQ glazing.

Our fish this week is Honey-Glazed Salmon. This is another favorite for our fish lovers. Again, your choice of potato and a vegetable.

Last up is the Prime Rib. We have been selling out the last few weeks so come early enough if you wish to enjoy a nice slice of beef.

Our soup this week is Beef Barley which is our number one top seller.

We wish to extend our thanks for everyone coming out and making it a wonderful season this year and look forward to even a better one next year! See you all the Friday after Labor Day!