Broad Stripes and Bright Stars Celebrate 50th Anniverary
Inspiration comes from all directions. For Julia Swan, inspiration for one project came from a movie, Pollyanna. In the movie, Pollyanna, played by Hayley Mills, and the other girls dressed as the American Stars and Stripes with 13 stars on the flag as she sang “America the Beautiful.”
Julia took that idea to the Vulnerable Queens Bridge Club meeting fifty-one years ago and soon the girls were each making their own piece of the flag to march in the parade in downtown Cambridge, Ohio celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the United States in 1976. Red and white strips of cloth were sewn together with a field of blue attached. The white stripes on the flag were actually made from old coverlets from Swan Hospital. The 13 stars were glued to the fabric, rather than sewn. They marched from tallest on the side toward the stars going down to shortest on the other end. The stripes on the flag had to be made so they would line up when marching.
Their costume now resembled a long sack with a hole in the top for their heads. There were no other openings on the sides. All the ladies wore white pants, white shoes, and a white turtleneck. There were no motorized vehicles permitted in that first parade, just horses, so the ladies had to be careful where they stepped in their white shoes.
The eight Flag Ladies that began this project were Gigi Bernard, Julia Swan, Jeanne Lilienthal, Corrine Wolfe, Martha Scott, Nancy Abbott, Rudy Moorehead, Shirley Olnhausen, and Barbara Scott. Using bridge card terms, they decided to call the flag group “Vulnerable Queens.” However, the veterans didn’t think that name sounded proper so they renamed them “Marching Flag.”
Walking in a parade is not easy and they had a practice run or two. First, they thought maybe if they swayed back and forth it would look like the flag was waving, but that didn’t work well. They had to stay with their flag pieces touching so developed a system of using two fingers to hold each other’s hand thought the material, and keep them close.
In order to stay in step, Barbara Scott, who had been in the high school marching band in previous years, counted softly, “Right, left, right, left” as they marched down the street. That made marching down the street easier but turning corners was still a challenge and something they had to practice.
Later the flag would be renamed by the ladies. They called it “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars.” Normally, there were eight ladies marching. One year there were nine. That extra person became the flag pole.
That flag has appeared in several places besides Cambridge, where they always appeared twice a year – Memorial Day and Veterans Day. They always wanted the parade to be one that was “proper and serious to represent our flag.”
In 2006, they marched at Old Washington when they were celebrating their 200th birthday. In 2021, they were part of the John Glenn Centennial Celebration Parade. Other states where they have appeared include Illinois, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. Wherever it appears, “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” adds a special touch to the parade.
In the early days of Dickens Victorian Village, Julia Swan made costumes for the Union flag of England to march in a Dickens parade. The costumes were only used once but still available if needed again someday.
A few years back, Julia relinquished the Marching Flag Ladies to Julie Davey. All the ladies who were marching at that time are still anxious to participate. The present group includes: Julie Davey, Mary Margaret Moore, Jan Bennett, Linda Todd, Jeanne Farrar, Kat Bennett, Sharon George, Bev Cullen, Penny Parnell, Carol Zimmerman, and Martha Orr Smith. Julie said, “I frequently get others who ask to participate if needed. It is considered a privilege by many.”
Julia Swan marched as part of the flag for 45 years and still enjoys watching it move down the street. This summer in 2026, original members Julia Swan and Shirley Olnhausen participated in a flag display at the Fourth of July Cambridge City Band Concert in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
As Julia thought back over all those years, she expressed her feelings about their purpose. “We considered it an honor to march as the flag and tried to perform with dignity. It was always a happy experience.”
Watch for the “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” in the Veterans Day parade on November 11 at 10:00 in Cambridge. Perhaps someday you might like to be part of that group of ladies giving honor to our country.
