The Manhattan Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution marched in the Flag Day Parade to support acts of patriotism, preservation, and education.
2023 marks the 246th anniversary of the adoption of the American Flag by the Second Continental Congress in June 1777. Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York have celebrated this symbolic event annually with a parade and ceremony. Each year, the SOR is joined by NSDAR Chapters and organizations such as the NYPD, FDNY, veterans groups, and various historical societies.
The Flag Day Parade is one of the longest-running parades in New York City. The marchers distribute small American flags to the thousands of parade spectators. The Flag Day Parade ends at the Grandstand in front of Fraunces Tavern, beneath a four-story American flag. At the Grandstand, local dignitaries, military veterans, and local community leaders gather to listen to the “What the American Flag Means to Me” school essay contest winners read their award-winning essays. Brief remarks were made honoring “Old Glory” and the parade supporters.
The hosts and organizers of the Flag Day Parade are the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, a society founded in 1883 and made up of descendants of those who fought for American Independence. Each year the SOR society commemorates historically significant events, including the anniversaries of George Washington’s Birthday, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Evacuation of New York by the British Army. The SOR Society also places and maintains historical markers at significant sites from the Revolutionary Era throughout New York City. A notable philanthropic effort is the preservation and ongoing support of Fraunces Tavern, one of the most important landmarks of the American Revolutionary War.
The Manhattan Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate its 125 anniversary this year with a formal gala at The Players. The Manhattan Chapter is a branch of the National DAR which is a non-profit and non-political society led, staffed, and funded entirely by women, dedicated to supporting the mission and interests: of education, historic preservation, and inclusive patriotism. Today’s DAR is a 21st-century organization with a vibrant membership, sharing service opportunities, developing leadership skills, and an appreciation of history. There are nearly 180,000 current members of the DAR in approximately 3,000 chapters across the United States and in several other countries. Membership in the DAR today is open to all women, regardless of race or religion, who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who aided in achieving United States independence.
The Manhattan Chapter NSDAR’s current leadership is Sarah Shea Lynch (Regent), Linda Rhodes Jones (Vice Regent), Evelyn Carmichael (Chaplain), Audrey Fields (Recording Secretary), Maggie Rhodes Nugent (Corresponding Secretary), Melanie Wells (Treasurer), Alyssa Ritch-Frel (Registrar), Eugenia Askren (Historian), Donna Horak (Librarian). Manhattan Chapter NSDAR Members that marched in the Flag Day Parade included: Sarah Shea Lynch (Manhattan Chapter Regent), Muriel Roberts, Bonnie Comley, Ellen Hasell, and Loraine Faina. They were joined by Mary Washington Colonial Chapter members: Karen Kane and Debbie McKinley, Brooklyn Chapter Members; Kathy Fountaine and Beth Fitzgerald, Colonel Benjamin Tallmadge Chapter Regent Lindsey Mullholand, and New York City Chapter Members Ruth D. Hunt and Jacqueline Long.
To learn more about The Flag Day Parade or The Society of the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York, see sonsoftherevolution.org.
To learn more about The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, see DAR.org.
For information about the Manhattan Chapter 125 Celebration, see manhattannsdar.org.
