The Flag Lady's Store practically bursts with red, white, and blue: American flags in every size imaginable, apparel, home decor, water bottles and more.
At midday, a steady stream of customers filter in and out. Most have come to seek advice on decorating their porches for the quickly approaching Fourth of July holiday, or in search of a coveted America 250 flag.
The weeks leading up to Independence Day have always been the busiest at the Clintonville shop, but owner and “Flag Lady” Lori Leavitt Watson said this year, she's seen twice as many customers and has had more online orders.
Her special America 250 Ohio flags have been especially popular with state agencies and Ohio-based businesses.
“That flag — we made over 100 last week, another 50 this week and we've only had seven to 10 to put out here in the shop," Leavitt Watson said.
In the sewing department, machines whir as the team struggles to simply keep up with the influx of orders of Ohio, military and special-order flags.
"People are really celebrating America 250," Leavitt Watson said.
Celebrating freedom
Jackie Sanker, of Powell, an employee at the store, remembers the nation's bicentennial celebration in 1976 "vividly." She was 10 years old at the time.
“I just remember the parades. I remember, you know, Pepsi and Coke coming out with special logos and labels and it was a very big deal," Sanker said. "It stands out in my mind as being a very special time in our history."
Sanker said the buildup to 250 started slow, but the excitement has grown.
Her voice breaks as she recalls her father's enthusiasm for the anniversary.
"We got him a 250 Betsy Ross (flag) for Father's Day. And we got him a 250 t-shirt. And he wanted to see us hang it outside," Sanker said. "He's in a wheelchair and we took him outside and we raised the flag.”
She wiped away a tear.
“It's a very turbulent time for our country. And so, it's nice to see people come out and remember what our country stands for," Sanker said.
"People are really celebrating America 250."- Flag Lady Lori Leavitt Watson
A bit of perspective
But some customers at the store felt a bit more lackluster about the country’s big anniversary.
When asked if she was excited, Shirley Brown, of Galloway, half-heartedly replied, "Sure."
"Yeah, sure," Brown said. "Maybe. I'm rethinking."
Brown drove all the way across town to buy an America 250 flag at The Flag Lady's Store. She said she looks forward to hanging it in her garden, but she doesn't have any further plans to celebrate.
In a lot of ways, it's just another year, she said. And it's been filled with "a lot of strange, nasty things."
“Iran. All these wars that we've had. And just a lot going on. Right now, it's a little crazy, I must say," Brown said.
Lori Garland, of north Columbus, looked at 250 years of America with perspective.
“Well, it's just a blip in the world, really, but it means everything to me," Garland said.
"In this current moment, this democracy is very much under assault and attack from forces inside of the government."- Ohio State University history professor Hassan Kwame Jeffries
A big birthday*
Ohio State University history professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries said people are always excited to celebrate a birthday.
"This is a big birthday. But I think there's also some asterisks that come along with this birthday celebration at this particular moment in time," Jeffries said.
The moment is meant to be a celebration of the democracy, Jeffries said.
"In this current moment, this democracy is very much under assault and attack from forces inside of the government from the highest offices in the land," Jeffries said.
When the nation celebrated its bicentennial, the United States was also coming out of what Jeffries calls a “traumatic national experience.”
Americans marked 200 years on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, the end of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.
"But that celebration was fundamentally different than sort of the feeling that we have now, I think in part because there was a national acceptance of separation. In other words, 'yeah, we know there's a lot going on, but we're just gonna come together,'" Jeffries said.
Looking back and connecting
Margaret Newell remembers observing the bicentennial as a teenager. Her family had moved from rural Ohio to New Jersey and Connecticut. There, she was surrounded by physical reminders the nation's founding and early history.
"There was a tree where George Washington tied his horse down the street, things like that. The house where the Continental Army stood and watched them burn Danbury, Connecticut," Newell said.
Now a history professor at Ohio State, Newell said she sees states like Ohio, which don't have those same material reminders of the past, trying to figure out how to connect with 250 years of history.
Meanwhile, the semi-quincentennial celebration has also been more of a challenge because national organizations that would usually spearhead the celebrations, like the National Park Service or the nonprofit that was originally working on America 250, have been "sidelined," she said.
She said that overall, she doesn't feel like people are excited about this anniversary.
"And it makes me really sad," Newell said. "It's a huge missed opportunity on so many fronts."
Negativity taints celebration
Jeffries thinks that what's different today compared to 1976 is a feeling of uncertainty about what democracy should be.
"There was an agreement that democracy in 1976 was the goal. Now you have many people who are saying that democracy is the problem," Jeffries said.
He said policies targeting immigration or education seem to “rub against” democracy.
Jeffries also believes that President Trump has injected too much of himself into a moment that’s supposed to be about the nation. People’s negative feelings about Trump have jumbled with the celebration.
For example, Trump’s “Great American State Fair” on the National Mall this week has reportedly seen very low attendance.
“The birthday would feel different if we have a different person in the Oval Office," Jeffries said. "It wouldn't matter as much if it was a Republican or a Democrat.”
"We can celebrate at the same time all the exciting great things this great country has been and is today, while also reflecting on some of the bumps and warts along the way."- Doug Preisse, America 250 Ohio co-chair
Ohio commemorates and reflects
While the Great American State Fair in Washington, D.C. publicly fizzled, state and local events in Ohio have quietly thrived.
Newell pointed to events at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati and research done by many local organizations that elevate lesser-known stories. She said those events from museums, historical societies and communities may not be as public-facing.
Across the state, more than 1,000 events are planned through the rest of the year, from parades and parties to forums, historical reenactments and service projects.
Columbus is gearing up for its annual Red, White and Boom! fireworks display Friday night, followed by a day-long homecoming picnic on the Statehouse grounds and Columbus Commons on Saturday. That event will include musical performances, a vintage baseball game and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
An ongoing effort in almost all of Ohio's 88 counties aims to mark the graves of more than 7,000 Revolutionary War-era soldiers, spies, and patriots, said America 250 Ohio co-chairman Doug Preisse. More than 600 volunteer archeologists and historians are involved.
“We’re hoping we were creating some of these what historians call 'sticky moments' that will inspire particularly young people this year to pay a little more attention to democracy, to public affairs and those kinds of things," Preisse said.
Priesse believes that despite ongoing divisive politics and public discourse, the year of celebration has begun to bring people together. He said the 250th commemoration of America is also about reflection.
"We didn't have women's suffrage right away. We didn't have the ending of slavery right away. And there's still improvements that we hope the participatory citizens will continue to work on," Priesse said. "So, we can celebrate at the same time all the exciting great things this great country has been and is today, while also reflecting on some of the bumps and warts along the way. Let's keep getting better."
