For nearly 70 years now, the Harbor Country Village of Three Oaks has been hosting the Nation’s Largest Flag Day Parade…and this year’s 69th edition promises to be as great as ever. 
The Three Oaks Flag Day Parade will be celebrating 69 years on June 13, 2021, at 2:30 pm with a flag-raising ceremony, accompanied by Joey Beebe, veteran and country artist, singing the National Anthem at the corner of Elm and Maple Street. Then, at 3 pm a streaking WWII military plane will fly over downtown Three Oaks to signify the start of the 69th Flag Day Parade.
Continuously growing, the Three Oaks Flag Day event has grown over the years to include an entire weekend of events. After being relegated to a virtual parade in 2020 by the pandemic, the Three Oaks Flag Day Committee is excited to be celebrating the weekend-long event again with the annual 5K/Walk, live music, food stand, Art in the Park, Quilts of Valor presentation, and of course the Nation’s Largest Flag Day Parade. The 69-year celebration is the long-time community tradition of honoring the American Flag, Veterans of all wars, current service men and women, our country, and our freedom.
The 69th Three Oaks Flag Day Parade will be held on Sunday, June 13th at 3 pm with the route starting at Buckeye Street moving south on Elm Street and turning west onto Linden Street, ending at the American Legion. This patriotic parade is free to attend, and the committee is requesting that all participants and spectators wear masks and socially distance whenever possible.
Three Oaks Flag Day Parade Chairman Dyane Thomas says, “Flag Day has always been a tradition of generations of friends and family coming together to enjoy one another and give patronage to our wonderful country. We’re so excited to be able to come together in 2021 to honor our community, nation, and service men and women.”
The 2021 Flag Day Parade will be honoring Grand Marshal, Lieutenant Colonel Ernest A. Bachman, who served in the National Guard and Army Reserves. Colonel Bachman has been driving the Flag Day Prince and Princess in the Flag Day Parade for the past dozen years. The committee is excited to have the long-time parade participant and 5th generation descendant of the Three Oaks settlers as the 2021 Grand Marshal. Colonel Bachman has carried the Prince and Princess on the red Corvette every year since 2009. He was commissioned in the Army Corps of Engineers at the University of Georgia and served in the National Guard, Army Reserve and on active duty from 1970 to 2008. His service included a combat tour in Iraq with the Big Red 1 where the Bronze Star was awarded. Colonel Bachman’s last military assignments were Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Information Management for the Virginia National Guard.
The third annual Three Oaks Flag Day 5K/Walk will be held on Saturday, June 12th at 8am. You are encouraged to stretch your legs and enjoy beautiful downtown Three Oaks in a fun event. All proceeds from the 5K/Walk go to the Ronald McDonald House and the River Valley Cross Country Team. To sign up simply visit: https://runsignup.com/Race/MI/ThreeOaks/FlagDay5KRun.
The weekend will also welcome a very special event on Saturday, June 12th at 1pm, when a Quilts of Valor presentation will be held at the Carver Park Pavilion. 11 local veterans will be honored in a special ceremony which will include the gifting of a handmade quilt. Karen Cummings, Committee Chair, says, “We are beyond honored to partner with the Berrien Towne and Country Quilters to bring such a special presentation to the Flag Day weekend,” adding, “We invite all community members to come and help honor these individuals who are not only part of our community but have served to keep us safe.”
Live music for the weekend will include Music in the Park at Dewey Cannon Park on Saturday, June 12th and three days of live entertainment at American Legion Post 204 Under The Pavilion including:
- Flag Day Famous, June 11 from 6 to 9pm
- PS Dump Your Boyfriend, June 12 from 9pm to 1am
- Donnie Isaacs, June 13 at 6pm
Flag Day Famous, Friday night, is your chance to show off your talents and become Flag Day Famous with the open mic under the pavilion at American Legion Post 204.
PS Dump Your Boyfriend, Saturday night, has been knocking the socks, shoes, pants and halter-tops off Midwest club goers for years with no real end in sight. With the emphasis on performance, PS has raised the bar for all other acts by setting attendance records at nearly every venue. The seamless show of non-stop entertainment is no accident. PS has been known to say “First we must entertain ourselves, we came out tonight to try and have more fun than the audience.” That seems to be a never-ending battle with both sides being victorious. Their multimedia show with pfreaky and hilarious video clips, is woven in to a rambunctious cocktail shaker of psychedelic rock, spaced-out funk, hardcore rock, freestyle disco rap and everything else under the sun up to, and including the proverbial kitchen sink.
Donnie Isaacs on Sunday evening, brings to the mic, the Irvine, Kentucky native whose passion for music runs deep in his family heritage. An accomplished songwriter, Donnie has a variety of singles to his credit. Donnie is a combat veteran and a proud member of CAMMO. His talent has not gone unrecognized. Donnie was featured in GX magazine and accredited by the recording academy. He is well on his way to establishing a foothold in the music industry as a songwriter and performer. Donnie has a vintage country sound which is portrayed in his 5 song EP “Duffle Bags” available on all the major music outlets.
For the past 68 years, the Three Oaks Flag Day Parade has been able to give back to the community with a parade honoring the American Flag, Veterans of all wars, current service men and women, our country and our freedom. 2021 Red Sponsors include:
- Shepherd Hardware
- Big C Lumber
- Bryan’s Automotive
- Burkholder Excavating
- Corvette Central
- Drier’s Meat Market
- Farm Bureau Insurance
- Froehlich’s
- Four Winds Casino
- Gemini Landscaping
- Harding’s Friendly Market
- Honor Credit Union
- Horizon Bank
- Journeyman Distillery
- Three Oaks Makers and Merchant Alliance
- Sawyer Garden Center
- Sherrill Family Farms
- Three Oaks Dentistry
- Three Oaks Ford
- Three Oaks Masonic Lodge
- Versaw Earthworks
- Wagner Funeral Homes
For more information on the weekend, you can visit: http://www.threeoaksflagday.com.
On Sunday, June 13th Joey Beebe will perform the National Anthem for the Flag Raising Ceremony. Joey has been part of the Center for American military Music Opportunities (CAMMO) since its early beginnings, having participated in the development and execution of many of its programs. He has a strong background in vocal coaching, arranging, and directing, having studied both at Georgetown University and Berklee School of Music in Massachusetts. His parents were veterans of the US army, as musicians and Joey served for seven years in the Army as well, working for Army Entertainment during the last four.
Joey worked on may projects, including the US Army Soldier Show, Operation Rising Star, and many collaborations with Washington DC area Army Bands, including the US Army Field Band and the United States Army Band, “Perishing’s Own.” He has experience working remotely with large groups, having been on the original assembly team for the American Military Spouses Choir and coordinating remote training for their Kennedy Center debut, as well as the Invictus Choir in 2016, which was also a remote ceremony. Most recently, he worked on development with Voice of Service, one of the most recent projects to arise from CAMMO, on their journey to the finals of America’s Got Talent in Season 14.
