Medina Community Band celebrates Flag Day with Friday performance

While not an official holiday, Flag Day has been celebrated for nearly 250 years. "I've always been impressed with the statement 'We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty,'" Medina Community Band Conductor Marcus L. Neiman said. Annually the June date has provided the Medina Community Band with an opportunity to perform appropriate material. This year the red, white and blue celebration takes place today at Medina's Uptown Park Square Gazebo. The indoor rain site is the Western Reserve Masonic Community, 4931 Nettleton Road, Medina. "Why celebrate Flag Day?'" he said. "We've been celebrating the concert closest to Flag Day for some time. "The American flag has stood as a symbol of freedom and justice for over 246 years. No other symbol captures the power and glory of our nation like the American flag. It's an honor to recognize this symbol of our nation." Today's performance — by the roughly 75-member outfit composed of volunteers from all over Northeast Ohio — includes Henry Fillmore's "Americans We," George M. Cohan's "You're a Grand Old Flag" and Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," as well as John Philip Sousa's "Golden Jubilee" and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" marches. "Types of music we perform include a patriotic medlay by Nicholas Puin and J.J. Richards' 'Shield of Liberty,'" he said. The festive and fun affair also includes an ice cream social sponsored by the Medina United Church of Christ, Congregational. "The weather should be beautiful for this concert and the temperature just about perfect," he said. Contact John Benson at ndiffrence@att.net.