Kiwanis Flag Day Celebration is Friday, Saturday

The city will mark Flag Day, which occurred this past Tuesday, June 14, with a bang on Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, with a carnival, ending with fireworks, courtesy of the .

The celebration will open Friday night at with a carnival and rides, from 6 to 10 p.m., along with block party music for the whole family by DJ Kevin Thifault from .

The schedule for Saturday—carnival, 4 to 11 p.m.; DJ Kevin Gary, 5 to 11 p.m.; Sweet Adelines, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; Joe Henley Band, 7:30 to 10 p.m.; welcome by Mayor Scott Galvin at 9 p.m.; national anthem sung by Donna Nagle at 10 p.m. and fireworks starting at 10:05 p.m.

The event started much smaller 32 years ago, according to Kiwanis Club member Bob Simonds, who described himself a club member for more than 40 years and the second-oldest club member.

In 1978, club member Bob Gricus thought Woburn should have its own Boston Pops-like July 4th event downtown, Simonds said. The played on the steps of , Simonds said; one of their pieces, like the Pops on July 4, was the 1812 Overture. Gricus has since died.

The event was scheduled for around Flag Day, Simonds said, because that was when school ended for the year then and before residents went away during the summer.

“It was a good chance for Woburn people to get together,” he said.

When Library Park was completed, the event moved there, according to Simonds.

In the late 1980s, the veterans’ agent at the time came up with the idea to include the ceremonial burning of old and tattered flags as part of the event because of its proximity to Flag Day, Simonds explained. That is no longer done, he said.

The fireworks on Saturday night are a big local attraction, Simonds said. Kiwanis puts up around $8,000 for the display, he said.

Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers “dedicated to changing the world, one community and one child at a time,” according to its website.