Thursday, July 26, 2012

Va Flaggers Update 7-24-12: Flagging the VMFA

Va Flaggers Update 7-24-12:  Flagging the VMFA

Greetings!  We apologize for the lack of updates recently, as we have been making changes to our email account and website.  Please note that all updates and information will now come from this new account, info@vaflaggers.com.
July has been another busy month for the Va Flaggers at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  As has been the case since October 1, we have had a presence on the Boulevard at least twice a week, every week.  The weather has presented a challenge, as temperatures soared as high as 105 degrees on some days, but shade, lots of water, and the determination to see this battle through and honor our ancestors kept the Flaggers forwarding the colors in spite of the severe weather. 
Saturday June 30th was HOT FOLKS! The temperature was over 100 degrees but 12 Flaggers made their way to the boulevard to continue to protest the VMFA illegal actions! The intense heat did not stop very special guest SCV National Lt Commander In Chief Kelly Barrow from joining the Flaggers on the boulevard to stand and flag!  We were honored to have Kelly join us, and appreciated his taking the time out of a family vacation to forward the colors!
Traffic was light but we did get a few good conversations in.  One involved some folks from the middle east who pulled up in a car out in front of the VMFA . They were curious why we were out there with our flags. We had a nice conversation with them, and the VMFA security must have been interested, too, because they came out and video taped the whole thing! 
Thursday, July 5th:  10 Flaggers in extreme heat!  On this evening, a Jewish man, who said our flags were equivalent to the Nazi flag, felt compelled to call the Richmond Police and report us for "hate speech".  When the officer arrived, he spoke with us for a few brief moments, then proceeded to tell us that we are well known among the Richmond Police and the city administration for our outstanding record of being polite, courteous, and respectful to others and that they considered us, by far, the most considerate and well respected protestors in the city.   He thanked us and went on his way. 
Saturday, July 7th:  10 Flaggers on the Boulevard on a balmy July in Richmond.  Museum Security decided the new rule this week would be that we could no longer place our flags in the hedges for a few minutes, as we had been doing since October if we needed to use the facilities, or just take a few minutes' break.
Thursday, July 12th, saw 12 Flaggers on the Blvd.  The temperature  was a bit cooler then the previous week. We had a lot of good convos with people walking by the museum.  We had a really good conversation with some Japanese students visiting Richmond.  They were definitely on our side!  Laura, a teacher from Lynchburg and visiting the VMFA, chatted with us and wanted to see the Chapel.  She teaches the War with a CSA flag & USA flag in the classroom.  She chatted with us for an hour.  She told us she was coming back Friday to visit the Chapel & tell the VMFA she wants the Flags back on Our Chapel.
Saturday, July 14th saw 10 Flaggers on the Boulevard.   They stood in inclement weather, until lightning forced them off the Boulevard early, for safety's sake!
Wednesday, July 18th:  11 Flaggers on the Boulevard.  Very interesting evening with an especially good conversation with a group of South Africans who had been talking with the museum about having an exhibit there.  They were very sympathetic to our position and were eager to hear more about the removal of the flags and why we wanted them returned.
Saturday, July 21st:  Weather was overcast which kept the temps down! 6 flaggers made their way to the boulevard to protest the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  We had a lot of traffic with a lot of good conversations.  One individual said that they would come back next Saturday to flag with us.  Car traffic was heavier than usual, with people pulling up wanting to know what was going on.   One young lady said she had seen us out here for a really long time and wanted to finally stop and ask why. A good conversation led to her promising to call the museum to tell them to return the flags!  More positives then negatives kind of day!
NEW PETITION!  We now have an online petition, asking the VMFA to return the flags.  PLEASE sign the petition and forward to ANYONE who might be interested in taking a few minutes to help us honor our ancestors.  The petition is available here...
Join us on the Boulevard!  Our next flagging will be THIS THURSDAY, July 26th, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk.  If you cannot be there, please call or email the VMFA and tell them to honor our ancestors and return the Battle Flags to the Confederate War Memorial.    Call 804.340.1500 and ask to speak to the Director, Alex Nyerges, or email him at alex.nyerges@vmfa.museum.  Be polite, be courteous, but be firm!  Tell them to RETURN the flags and RESTORE the honor! 
Upcoming Events! 
August 3-5:  Sesquicentennial of the Battle of 2nd Manassas.  Va Flaggers will attend the activities on Saturday, August 4th, and forward the colors at the National Park and re-enactment events in Manassas.
September 15:   9th Annual Richard "Dick" Poplar Day at 11:30 a.m.  Memorial Hill, Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia
September 22:  10TH Alabama Marker Dedication Ceremony, 10:00 a.m. Bristoe Station
Look for more details soon on these and many other Confederate events planned in the coming months! 
More info. can also be found on our public FaceBook page, "Confederate Flaggers:  Stand, Fight, and Never Back Down". 
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfederataeFlaggers/
RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!

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Va Flaggers Update 7-24-12 Hanover Tomato Festival
On July 14, the Virginia Flaggers participated in the Hanover Tomato Festival, a long standing tradition in Hanover County and one of the biggest events of the year.
We set up a booth and handed out Va Flagger literature and information, and gave away over 850 Confederate Battle Flag to festival participants. 
It was a beautiful sight to see the battle flags carried all over the festival grounds!  We had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of people, and our information (and especially the free flags) were very well received! 
Most of you know that  defending attacks on our Heritage and our flags is the main purpose of the Flaggers, but it is important to realize that education and forwarding the colors to the public is another part of what we do, and is something that is desperately needed at county festivals and fairs all across the South!  
At the same time the Flaggers were at the Hanover Tomato Festival AND Flagging the VMFA, the Sons of Confederate Veterans were holding their National Reunion in Murfreesboro, TN.  We were thrilled to learn that many of our own Va Flaggers received recognition for their work over the past year, including:
Commander-in-Chief's Award:  Everette Ellis
Commendation Award:  Jamie Funkhouser
Heritage Defense Medal:  Billy Bearden, Jamie Funkhouser
Meritorious Service Medal:  Everette Ellis, Bob Harris, Ashleigh Moody, Mike Pullen,  and Tracy Wright
Distinguished Service Medal: Billy Bearden, Matthew Heimbach, Grayson Jennings, Tommy Thomas, Capt. Tucker, Willie Wells
Commander-In-Chief's Ladies Appreciation Award:  Susan Hathaway
Upcoming Events!  
August 3-5:  Sesquicentennial of the Battle of 2nd Manassas.  Va Flaggers will attend the activities on Saturday, August 4th, and forward the colors at the National Park and re-enactment events in Manassas.
September 15:   9th Annual Richard "Dick" Poplar Day at 11:30 a.m.  Memorial Hill, Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia
September 22:  10TH Alabama Marker Dedication Ceremony, 10:00 a.m. Bristoe Station
Watch for more details soon on these and many other Confederate events planned in the coming months! 
More info. can also be found on our public FaceBook page, "Confederate Flaggers:  Stand, Fight, and Never Back Down". 
http://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfederataeFlaggers/

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