Flag Day’s Star Will Show His Stripes

When Charles Kissel replaced the worn flag he has had since he was a Boy Scout, he became fascinated with the banner and its origins.

Now, five years later, Kissel has 100 replicas of various flags from America’s past.

“It’s maybe one of those things that will go on forever,” Kissel said of his growing collection of 3-by-5-foot cotton flags. He has 12 more on order and has designed a flag to celebrate the year 2000.

Kissel, 50, a chemical inventor, and his wife, Rosemary, an elementary school teacher, will share their preoccupation with the flag Saturday at the city’s first Flag Day ceremony. Featured will be the first public display of 80 of the Kissels’ flags.

Event chairwoman Sally Feldhaus said she sees the ceremony as a way to “teach our children the respect of our flag and to honor it, . . . and to remind the adults what the flag means.”

Rosemary Kissel, 50, is also interested in educating children about why we salute the flag.

Among the Kissels’ collection are replicas of the Betsy Ross flag, with a star for each of the 13 original states; the Bedford flag flown at the battles of Concord and Lexington in 1775; and the 15-star flag that inspired Francis Scott Key’s “Star Spangled Banner.”

“Some people have said I’m eccentric,” said Charles Kissel, who has 11 flagpoles in his front yard. “We all have hobbies. This happens to be mine.”

He said he researched the evolution of the flag. When ready-made replicas were available, he ordered them. He also has more than 80 that were custom-made.

In the early 1700s, when Queen Anne created a red flag with the King’s Colors in the canton, Kissel said, it became the model for the U.S. flag.

In the Colonial period, flags flown here reflected the British influence. A flag with red and white stripes and 13 white stars became the first official flag approved by Congress. That changed as new states joined the union, and the star pattern changed.

“The pattern that showed up tells a different story,” Charles Kissel said.

Since July 4, 1960, the 50-star flag has been the nation’s official flag.

The Kissels said they are looking forward to sharing their collection with the public.

“There’s a sense of community pride to be able to show the flags and to have flags that people have only read about,” Rosemary Kissel said.

The 10 a.m. ceremony to honor Old Glory will be downtown on Center Street Promenade. The event will feature entertainment and veterans, Scouts and other youth groups in uniform.

Event information: (714) 635-8301. Information on flag talks: (714) 828-7135.