Rep. Lee Zeldin on Saturday presented the Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council with a flag that was flown over the United States Capitol. The flag will fly from the flagpole on the Village Green.
Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council president Rose Ann Burns, Robert Snowden and James Grathwohl accepted the flag on behalf of the organization.
“I’m so thrilled,” Snowden told the congressman, after receiving the boxed flag at the foot of the flagpole outside the Cutchogue firehouse Saturday afternoon, following the St. Patrick’s Day parade. He said the flag that’s been flying on the Village Green was presented to the historical council in 1994 by then-congressman George Hochbrueckner. Snowden thanked Zeldin for procuring a replacement.
“It doesn’t look or feel right when you see the colors faded and the edges fraying,” Zeldin said. “It’s my pleasure.”
The Architect of the Capitol oversees the Capitol Flag Program, which began in 1937, when a member of Congress requests a flag that had flown over the Capitol. The Architect of the Capitol fulfills more than 100,000 flag requests from members of the House and Senate each year. With advance notice, a flag can be flown on a specific date to commemorate a birthday, retirement, anniversary, or other special occasion. Each flag comes with a certificate of authenticity that can be personalized to reflect the occasion.
