Flag Day still flies in Fairfield

While most flags remained at half-staff to observe Ronald Reagan’s death, Old Glory proudly waved Saturday from every corner of the town of Fairfield.

Fluttering in the wind, American flags flew from porches and store fronts, in the back of pickup trucks, on top of kids’ helmets as they pedaled down Main Street.

This is Fairfield, after all, known in these parts as “the town that celebrates Flag Day.” Except for a few years during World War II, this tiny farming community in the Palouse has hosted a Flag Day celebration since 1910.

“We love our flag,” said Bill Enzler, treasurer of the Fairfield Service Club, which helps organize the annual affair. “A lot of people here are patriotic.”

National Flag Day is officially Monday, but Fairfield celebrated the holiday all day Saturday.

Towering silos surrounded by John Deere tractors and other farm equipment were the backdrop to this celebration, which brought together nearly all of Fairfield’s 600 residents, plus plenty more from Spokane and surrounding towns like Rockford and Waverly. Many who came were drawn to the festival’s laid-back atmosphere, a small-town charm that’s as homespun as apple pie.

“It’s just neat to come to this small community and watch the celebration,” said Ann Fried, of Spokane, who has attended the Flag Day festivities for the past four years.

Folks in Fairfield are proud of their annual event, said Enzler, a town native who attended Liberty High School like other members of the Service Club. Reunions are planned around this date, he said. College kids and people who have moved away often return to town to visit old friends and attend the Flag Day festivities.

Many adults who grew up here have fond memories of Flag Days past.

Bud Loeffler, this year’s Flag Day citizen of the year, recalled driving a brand-new black Ford coupe during the 1933 festival parade.

The 90-year-old was born in Fairfield and worked as a mechanic until he retired. He and Ruth, his wife of 65 years, raised four children here. They now also have seven grandkids and seven great-grandchildren.

“It’s a nice, quiet little town,” said Bud Loeffler, who sat in a convertible and waved to the crowd during the parade. “Nobody gets in trouble much.”

This year’s Flag Day festivities kicked off with an early morning fun run and ended with a street dance for kids and adults. The highlight, however, was the parade along historical Main Street.

Hundreds gathered along the sidewalks to watch the procession, which began with a gaggle of children riding their bicycles down the hill.

Adhering to this year’s “Wild, Wild West” theme, some wore cowboy hats and boots. Most decorated their bikes, trikes or wheelbarrows with stars and stripes. Spectators also displayed their patriotic pride by wearing clothes in red, white and blue.

Even the residents of Fairfield Good Samaritan Nursing Home showed their patriotic spirit by donning hats with stars and stripes and waving flags while sitting in their wheelchairs.

“This means a lot to our community,” Enzler said.