By LAURA QUEZADA News Review Staff Writer– The community is invited to join your friends, neighbors, community leaders, and public figures as Ridgecrest’s Parade of 1,000 Flags takes to the streets on Saturday, September 7. If you care to participate, there are no requirements or preregistration involved. “Just come and line up at 830 at the staging area, grab a flag, and join the parade,” invites Pat Farris, publisher of the News Review and one of the parade committee members.
The staging area is the parking lot in front of the bowling alley. Participants line up between 8 and 830am and the parade commences at 9 am. Scott O’Neil, Executive Director of the Indian Wells Valley Economic Development Corporation (IWVEDC), says, “We’ll march down China Lake Boulevard to California Street and then head into City Hall.” Once there, the flags are planted in the flag field, and water will be available. “After the parade, there will be a short program at the gazebo. We’ll have several guest speakers and a short program.
“The flags will remain erect in the flag field for a week. We’ll take them down on Friday, the 13th of September. On Wednesday the 11th of September, at dusk, there will be a candlelight vigil where we have some ceremonies to recognize and to express our remembrance and appreciation for our first responders and military.”
O’Neil shares his thoughts on this annual tradition. “I think the Parade of Flags itself is pretty cool; I like to look at the flag field. Every year, I’ll go down there in the evening to ensure the lights are on the flag field. And it always amazes me at the number of people that are there at Freedom Park just sitting among the flags, being by themselves, you know, thinking their own personal thoughts, or about some loved one that is in service somewhere, or has passed away.” He says they appear to be finding time to reflect and be close in some way to their loved ones. “It’s amazing to me the number of pictures people leave of loved ones there. So, being able to be there for a week gives people a lot of time to use the flag field as a point of reflection. I think that’s pretty cool. I mean, it is amazing what times of day people are out there. I’ve been out there early in the morning. I’ve been out there really late at night, and there always seems to be somebody there.”
Patriotism and unity are the undercurrents of the event. “It’s a place for all of us to get together as a community to show respect. And it’s not a time for political speeches. It’s not a time for arguments about disagreements; it’s a time to sit there and be with each other, reflect and show the strength of our country and community.
“We provide all the flags; we don’t want political flags there. It’s not a time to make a statement. It’s a time to reflect and remember the fallen and those serving our country and our communities.”
Before it became a parade, the remembrance featured a Field of 1,000 Flags, which was started by the Exchange Club in 2005. Farris recalls, “They posted the flags but people didn’t realize they were there and it wasn’t getting the community participation that was anticipated. I thought, ‘If we can get 1,000 people to carry flags, there would be 1,000 people who knew about the remembrance field.’ That seemed like a sizeable task, but I thought if we could get one hundred people to sponsor rows of ten, that would be 1,000.” Putting her organizational skills to work, Farris obtained the volunteers needed to make this vision a reality.
“I think this gives our children a sense of patriotism that they would not otherwise get, and that’s important,” says Farris. “It instills something in their lives they’ll never forget. They may not remember what was said but they will remember how they felt when they heard the patriotic songs sung and played by the band. They will remember the sense of community they felt while carrying flags with their teachers and classmates, law enforcement, firemen and Navy brass, and the military in dress uniform.
“They will be surrounded by hundreds from this community marching under the same banner. The banner represents our freedom and reminds us of how fortunate we are to live in this country. They will take pride in their community and become better citizens with this experience,” encourages Farris.
“Don’t forget to bring the children to the Candlelight Vigil that will be held on the evening of 9/11. They are too young to remember 9/11, but they will be impressed by the sacrifices made by our first responders. They will also enter into the memory of the lives of those who were lost on 9/11 as part of our history as they light the candles; standing there holding lighted candles while taps are being played is a sobering experience.”
“We are looking for volunteers,” adds O’Neil. If there are people in the community who want to help with setup, please get in touch with the IWVEDC. We’re always looking for volunteers.” A strong back and a willing heart are all that are needed. Contact them via email at or their website at https://iwv-edc.com/.
