3,000 flags planted in Cedar Rapids in celebration of Flag Day

CEDAR RAPIDS - Several thousand Eastern Iowa residents may have noticed an American flag standing in their front yard this morning.

Late last night and early this morning, staff members with Coldwell Banker Hedges Realty in Cedar Rapids were out planting flags in recognition of Flag Day.

Ben Wheeler, general manager with Coldwell Banker Hedges, said this marks the 25th consecutive Flag Day the realty company has put out flags. The number of flags has grown every year, he said.

'We're somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,000, so it's quite a few,” he said. 'The area covered, as our company has grown, has expanded.”

Wheeler said the flags not only help kick off the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival, but they also help spread patriotism.

With events like Sunday's mass shooting in Orlando, a little patriotism can go a long way, he added.

'There's a lot more conversations about what it means to be an American and live in the United States,” he said.

Flag Day was originally established in 1916 through a proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson. In 1949, National Flag Day was established by Congress. Though it is not an official federal holiday, Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the flag, which took place on June 14, 1777.

Flags were placed in several Cedar Rapids neighborhoods, including Bowman Woods and Park Crest, as well as along streets in Marion, Ely, North Liberty, Anamosa, Hiawatha and Swisher.