Only one flag matters this Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend. It is one of my favorite holidays of the year, a special day at a special time of year. It originally was called Declaration Day; it is a day to remember those that have died in service to our country.

The history of Memorial Day, or Declaration Day, is a little fuzzy. In May of 1966 President Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the birthplace of Memorial Day. Now, Waterloo may not actually have been the first to celebrate Memorial Day, but it got the designation because each year in good ol' Waterloo it was a town-wide event. Businesses closed, people gathered together to honor the fallen, residents decorated graves with flags and flowers.

Bill Weber

Way to go, Waterloo!

But Memorial Day dates back much further than 1966, in fact, probably 100 years earlier. According to various sources (and believe me the sources definitely vary) the celebration we now know as Memorial Day officially was proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Yeah, I know, I don't remember that day from Mr. Fedak's class either. But with Gen. Logan leading the charge, pardon the pun, Memorial Day was observed for the first time on May 30, 1868, to remember those that gave their life in the Civil War. Soldiers from both the Union Army and the Confederate side were honored with flowers at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1873, New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday. It took almost 20 years before all the northern states recognized it. What took them so long?

The South wasn't quite that excited, either. From what I could find, most southern states did not really recognize Memorial Day until after World War I, that's when the holiday was changed to honor those Americans lost in any war, instead of just the Civil War.

Now it is readily celebrated on the last Monday in May, part of that three-day weekend law passed in 1971. But if you live in the south, a handful of states also recognize our heroes on selected other dates as well.

Like many "special" days, Memorial Day seems to pass much more quietly than, well, say when I was a kid. I remember hanging the American flag on the front of the house, right next to the garage, big parades with plenty of servicemen and high school bands.

I'm sure those things still go on, and thanks to the 500 cable channels, we can watch celebrations from Washington, D.C., to Washington State. I love that!

We'll see the flags at Arlington, and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I have been to Arlington and watched in person the changing of the guard at the Tomb. Both experiences really make you think. They make you sad. They also make you proud.

Now set your cell phone alarm for this, the National Moment of Remembrance is at 3 p.m., local time. A resolution passed in December 2000 invites Americans to voluntarily pause on their own for a moment of remembrance. So set the alarm for 2:59 p.m., just to be ready.

I know where a lot of you will be this Memorial Day Sunday, at the Lowe's Motor Speedway outside of Charlotte, getting ready for the Coca-Cola 600. I cannot remember how many holidays I have spent at a race track. Obviously the Coke 600 and the Firecracker 400 at Daytona are two of the biggies. (Sorry Pepsi, but you really should call it Pepsi presents the Firecracker 400. It's one of the greatest names in all of sport!).

I know the people at Lowe's and Daytona go all out to honor our troops, those lost and those still serving, and our country on these special days but I love looking at the fans. I will be watching them on Sunday, although this year it will be on TV.

They will be dressed in patriotic colors. They will have banners. They will wave flags. The national anthem will be moving. And then, the race! Some cars will have special paint schemes with a Memorial Day theme. And after it is all over with, fireworks!

Do you remember some of the Memorial Day weekend races in Charlotte? How far back to you want to go? Before the modern era began in 1972, there were a variety of events around the Memorial Day weekend.

Buddy Baker won at Charlotte on May 28, 1972. He repeated in '73, when the race was run May 27, the same date as this year's event. David Pearson, Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip all won there. Benny Parsons won the 600 in 1980; I know it was one of his favorite wins.

Bobby Allison and Neil Bonnett. Dale Earnhardt won in 1986. Kyle Petty won on May 24, 1987. A week later, on May 31, Davey Allison won at Dover. Kyle wins the "Memorial Day" race thanks to a law passed in 1971. Kyle, figures doesn't it? D.W. kept winning. Davey Allison won in '91. Earnhardt won a couple.

Then the landscape changed. Somewhere along the line they lit the place and raced at night. Actually, Earnhardt won the first twilight start in 1993. Then Jeff Gordon won, Bobby Labonte won, Dale Jarrett won.

Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne. All winners at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend.

If you were at any of those races, I'll bet you probably remember two things: who won, and the flags and the pre-race pageantry.

Growing up, I remember the baseball and the backyard barbeque. Memorial Day weekend was the "unofficial" beginning of summer and, at that time, the end of the Yankees' pennant hopes. As I got older, it became the symbol of a huge weekend of racing.

I distinctly remember one Memorial Day Sunday. I finished packing up everything in my home in Newburgh, Ind., closed the door, turned the key and headed for my car. The "For Sale" sign still in the front yard. My cat, Smokey, and I began our long drive to Charlotte, N.C.

I was about to start a new job at a production company. I was going to produce an IMSA road racing series that aired on TNN. The company was Sunbelt Video. Today, still in the same office, and after absorbing some neighboring office space, Sunbelt Video is NASCAR Images.

I remember a lot about that trip. And I remember who won the 600 that year. It was his only win in the 600 and one of just two wins at Lowe's Motor Speedway in a long and successful career. He had just won the series championship the year before.

The weekend I drove to Charlotte, the man winning at Charlotte was Rusty Wallace. That was May 27, 1990, 17 years ago this Sunday.

I hope you and your family have a terrific Memorial Day weekend. Make sure you have your cell phone alarm set for Monday. Enjoy the 600. I'll be watching, green flag to checkered flag. But right now, I am going out to buy a new American flag; it's still the most important one.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.