Colleges and flea markets have flags in common
At this time of year, hundreds of thousands of Americans are traveling around the country for two purposes: first, stopping at flea markets and antique shows while on vacation; and, second, delivering their children to college. Either way, they’re going to see flags.
The American flag is a popular decoration at flea markets. Many vendors post one to attract attention, to signal their patriotism and, sometimes, to sell an antique banner to collectors. A flag at a sales booth turns eyes in that direction. After all, Old Glory flaps a hello and is brightly colored.
As for colleges, it’s not difficult to find a campus near an outdoor antique sale. And those colleges wave flags of their own.
Take the case of the small town in Massachusetts that hosts the Brimfield Antique Show, a massive outdoor mart held three times a year. Spreading their goods throughout 23 fields, vendors from all over the nation offer everything from nuts and bolts to classic record albums and 19th-century furniture. On tables, atop tents and alongside the main road, American flags say, “Stop and take a look.”
In nearby Springfield, Western New England University, founded in 1919, sports a blue flag with its seal emblazoned on it. Within a circle, a triangle is labeled with three key educational words: service, knowledge and integrity. In turn, within the inverted triangle burns a torch, an ancient symbol of learning because light implies enlightenment.
All the way across the continent, in Monterey, California, an antique store containing multiple sellers bulges with goods, including a life-size cut-out of Roy Rogers, the famous film cowboy of decades ago, and old-fashioned school desks. Also on display are a plethora of American flags.
Cal State University-Monterey Bay is marking its 20th anniversary this summer. It has a unique birth story. As its website notes, the college “grew out of Ford Ord, a decommissioned Army base with a rich history going back to 1917.”
As for flags, CSUMB offers a program in study abroad, and students learn about their options by clicking on the national flags of nearly three dozen countries. As for a seal, the university actually has an otter, not a seal. It’s the mascot of the sports teams.
Back east, lots of families spend their summer vacations in Cooperstown, New York, the site of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Visitors expect to see uniforms and baseballs at the museum, of course, but they will also come across plenty of flags. After all, every year, every team is engrossed in a summer-long pennant chase.
Furthermore, baseball is the sport that has celebrated “The Star-Spangled Banner” before every contest for well more than a century. In keeping with that partnership, a bed-and-breakfast near the Hall of Fame displays a very unusual piece of folk art that employs baseball bats to make an American flag.
As you tour the U.S. this summer, keep your eye out for flags. You’ll be surprised how many you see.