Framingham officials plan Flag Day procession on Sunday. Here are the details

FRAMINGHAM — After a relaunch last year, Framingham is attempting to make Flag Day a bigger spectacle this year, with plans to get the holiday back to its traditional grandeur on Sunday.

"Framingham used to have a big Flag Day event, and last year myself, (District 8 City Councilor) John Stefanini and a few others approached the mayor about bringing the event back," said District 6 City Councilor Phil Ottaviani, who chairs the Framingham Celebration Committee. "It's an important day to honor the flag and remember why and how we have the freedoms we have."

President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916 that officially established June 14 as Flag Day; it's not a federal holiday. The day commemorates June 14, 1777, when the United States flag was officially adopted by the Continental Congress.

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The city's Flag Day parade had been a local staple for many Framingham residents growing up, but Ottaviani said that over time, as the community changed, the event's popularity began to wane. In 2019, then-Mayor Yvonne Spicer brought the parade back for one year, but the parade was derailed by the pandemic the following year.

In 2021, the city hosted a small procession to revive the event, and this year Ottaviani is hoping to expand the festivities.

"We wanted to get people involved and had a nice service," he said. "This year we've tried to get more people involved, we've got more of the kids involved in the event, it should be a great event."

Framingham will mark Flag Day a little early this year.

Festivities take place at Cushing Memorial Park

Sunday's festivities start at 10 a.m. at Cushing Memorial Chapel at 60 Dudley Road. The parade will proceed around Cushing Memorial Park and wrap up with a ceremony at the flagpole inside Cushing Memorial Park. Members of the Framingham Elks will be carrying a giant United States flag in the parade, which Ottaviani said is officially being called a procession, since it will be contained around Cushing Memorial Park.

"To do a parade is a little more challenging," he said. "Technically, this is a procession. We aren't shutting down a street, we are doing it all around the park; this way we don't need a parade permit."

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Also participating in the event will be the Framingham Scout troops, members of Framingham High School athletic teams, Framingham Baseball and other youth groups.

Ottaviani said the event is being paid for out of Mayor Charlie Sisitsky's celebrations budget, although with the return of Fourth of July fireworks coming next month, expenses were kept low. Ottaviani said the efforts of many volunteers has made a Flag Day event possible.

"We have a lot of volunteers — Elaine Prue has been excellent over at the Parks and Rec Department, her and Kelly Hagerty, they've put it together, how folks have marched, the whole nine yards," Ottaviani said.

Framingham Police Lt. Robert Downing will serve as master of ceremonies, while Chaplain Robert Anspach will conduct the invocation and MassPort Fire Lt. Luis Alvarez, a Framingham resident, will conduct the benediction. Sistisky, Ottaviani, Massachusetts District Court Justice Michael Fabbri and Keefe Tech student Matt Kelly will also speak during the event.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham plans Flag Day procession Sunday at Cushing Memorial Park