The kids and I have been staying up every night watching the Olympics and cheering on a few favorites, including Michael Phelps from Baltimore, and enjoying all the medal ceremonies and hearing the national anthem.
In the midst of these Olympics on Saturday we drove to Baltimore to visit Fort McHenry where, surprise, there was a picture of Phelps singing the national anthem at the Beijing Olympics at one of his numerous gold medal ceremonies.
SINGING AT THE ORIENTATION FILM
In the theater for the orientation film, there were no theater seats.
At the end of the movie about the battle of Fort McHenry, The Star Spangled Banner was magnificently sung by a men’s quartet.
As many of the visitors were leaving, I boldly stood my ground, put my hand on my heart, and sung the anthem, hoping that I wouldn’t get terribly off key.
The guests stopped talking, stood, and faced the flag to sing.
A gasp lit the room as the scrim lifted to reveal through the large glass windows the fort and the 15-star flag, as we looked over Francis Scott Key’s shoulder.
ASKED IF I WAS THE SINGER
A lady who had been standing in front of me asked if I was the one singing The Star Spangled Banner. uh oh
Timidly I answered, yes which surprisingly delighted her.
In amazement she said I was on pitch and asked if I sing regularly, etc.
Um no, I said I don’t sing because I fear my pitch isn’t always that great, though I have sung in the choir before.
She said that explains it and smiling, walked off.
Well, that certainly pumped me up for the day. (If only I could work up the nerve for voice lessons.)
About every thirty minutes, while looking at all the exhibits, the rooms darkened and the interactives ended to draw us back into the theater for the movie and another opportunity to sing the anthem.
My family couldn’t get enough of this!
Even when we first visited Pikes Peak in 2001, we stood at the top of the 14,000+ foot snow covered mountain (at the end of June) and sang “America the Beautiful” as we looked out over the purple mountain majesties and the fruited plains.
TOURING FORT
Ready to explore the fort, we visited with the sailors.
Then we explored the fort where we saw where the ammunition was kept…
And where the soldiers protected themselves underground from the bombs.
Then from above, we watched the sailors below fire one of the cannons.
VARIOUS SIZED 1814 FLAGS
Inside one of the barracks is where the massively sized, famed banner was kept in 1814.
In the other room we had read how the commanding officer, Maj. Armistead, had reported to his new duty station and stated: We, Sir, are ready at Fort McHenry to defend Baltimore against invasion by the enemy. This is to say, we are ready except that we have no suitable ensign to display over the Star Fort, and it is my desire to have a flag so large that the British will have no difficulty seeing it from a distance.
Because the flag was so large it needed extra support for the flag pole bearing the weight.
The original garrison had different sized American flags, as it does today.
On Saturday we got to see three different sizes flown.
Because of the heavy winds that day the largest banner at 30 x 42 feet, replicating the flag of fame (now showcased in the Smithsonian) could not be flown.
Throughout the day we saw the second smallest flag, at 10 x 14 feet.
Late in the afternoon we left to eat dinner at Baltimore’s inner harbor.
TATTOO
When we returned for the evening Tattoo, I exclaimed that the flag had been exchanged for the second largest flag, at 17 x 25 feet!
The kids and I sat underneath this grand flag, flapping so joyously in the blue skies above, while we sat on the old walls of the fort.
We heard many familiar songs, except that they weren’t so familiar sounding by 1814.
For example, Yankee Doodle was different.
On the way home we listened to a CD I had purchased of the Fort McHenry War of 1812 Fife and Drum Corps and their rendition of The Star Spangled Banner was different.
I had also bought the original 1814 sheet music which my son compared to the tune on the CD and it’s close.
For the Tattoo, The Old Guard had been invited, but had to cancel.
A modern band played in their place and they played The Star Spangled Banner, in the modern way, to which we all sang.
At the end of the evening there was another cannon firing, which we enjoyed at ground level this time.
To close out the evening, a bugler played taps while the 17 x 25 foot flag was lowered to be replaced by the night time flag, at 5 x 8 feet.
That looked so tiny after the massive banner.
The latter flag is the President’s Flag which by presidential proclamation, allows Fort McHenry to be one of the few places that officially flies the American flag at night.
In truth, I do not remember how many times we sang the Star Spangled Banner on this day.
It’s all a blur in the midst of the patriotic feelings that wrapped us as that day.
