McLean County Times

Illinois State House District 88 candidate Regan Deering expressed her appreciation for the display of flags throughout the district. "It is a joy to see so many flags displayed throughout the 88th district," Deering stated in a Facebook post on June 8.

"Flag day will be celebrated June 14th," said Deering, according to Facebook. "It is a joy to see so many flags displayed throughout the 88th district."

According to PBS, the first proclamation of June 14 as Flag Day came in 1916 from President Woodrow Wilson’s office. Just over three decades later, President Harry S. Truman made the formal observance of Flag Day official by signing it into law in 1949. The holiday commemorates a Continental Congress decision on June 14, 1777, which determined what the U.S. flag would look like: "Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation," according to PBS.

Screenshot of Regan for Illinois June 8 Facebook post | Regan for Illinois Facebook page

In her Facebook post, Deering announced she would give one resident of each of the 88th District's counties a new flag mount kit.

"In honor of the upcoming holiday, I would like to gift one flag mount kit to a citizen of each of the four counties represented within the 88th district boundaries (DeWitt, Macon, McLean, Piatt). If you would like to nominate a recipient, please send us an email to team@reganforillinois.com to tell us about your nominee. Winners will be selected and delivered a kit this Friday, the 14th. Please share this post. Thank you for showing your pride for the USA," Deering wrote.

History.com reports that Bernard Cigrand, a teacher in Wisconsin, first suggested an annual holiday to celebrate the flag and its history on June 14. This suggestion was made in 1885 when Cigrand held the first formal observance of the holiday with his school.

Deering is seeking to succeed State Rep. Dan Caulkins and identifies several pressing issues facing Illinois that have fueled her decision to run. She emphasizes high taxes, challenges in finding quality education, and communities grappling with violence as key issues impacting families and children under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration.

"Families here pay some of the highest taxes in the nation. They struggle to find quality education for their children and live in communities plagued by violence," Deering asserted on her website.