Dave Anchel (owner of Elmer’s Flag and Banner) will host the next meeting of the Portland Flag Association at 7 PM, Thursday, 8 September 2016 in his home in SW Portland. For details, see our Next Meeting page.
We look forward to seeing those of you who have missed recent meetings, and hear some new stories, see some different flags, and engage in provocative flag-related discussion. Newcomers welcome!
Our March meeting takes place tonight in Lake Oswego, Oregon — anyone is welcome! See the Next Meeting page for details.
We publish “minutes” as the Flutterings column in our newsletter, The Vexilloid Tabloid. Here are the Flutterings from our last meeting as reported in VexTab 56 (with many photos at the end).
In our January meeting, hosted by Jessie Spillers, 14 PFA members enjoyed a lively evening of flags. As the host, Jessie led the introductions and moderated the discussion. We began by wishing Michael Orelove a speedy recovery from his heart attack and surgery.
Jessie outsourced his presentation by sharing a 5-min. YouTube video: “Why are Some Flags Similar?”
On behalf of Michael Orelove, Ted Kaye read Michael’s recent correspondence with the city of Atlanta, along with the protocol for half-staffing a flag (and showed a black ribbon).
Dear Mr. Orelove: …the City does not give away flags, as it would be a violation of the Georgia constitution’s gratuities clause which prohibits a government from giving away something of value. We also do not have any flags at this time that have lived out their useful life and would not be of value, due to wear and tear, which could possibly be given away…
David Koski debuted his flag for the year 2016, and described his new enthusiasm for counterchanging as a way to “complicate a design in a simple way”.
While designing a flag for the year 2016, I was reminded how counterchanging can take something very mundane and add a bit more interest, and how it seems to be used less often that it deserves. Here I present a few more arbitrary flag designs (representing nothing) to show what a striking effect counterchanging can have. Exploration of counterchanged flags merits further study by vexillologists.
Alexander Baretich reported on his efforts to launch a cooperative to make Cascadia flags; we provided suggestions on fabrics and tailors.
After seeing a “not available in Minnesota” flag ad, Carl Larson learned how, by Minnesota law, American flags sold there had to be U.S.A.-made.
Fred Paltridge shared several recent flag-related Oregonian articles.
Scott Mainwaring posed a quiz based on a Dallas, Texas, photo op, to identify the background flags. The assembled correctly identified 18 of 19 flags (Eritrea was the holdout).
He also reported on a Howard Zinn flag quote and how its use on flags has recently spread widely in popular culture (see There Is No Flag Large Enough…).
Robert Izatt, a Chinook tribal member, showed its flag (bought from TME Co. in Connecticut).
New member Random Pendragon, a 10th-grader at McNary High, travelled from Salem and showed his United Celtic League flag, which he chose for its beauty. [Random is also the designer of the beautiful Cascadia by Moonlight flag.]
Max Liberman had celebrated his 25th birthday by drafting a personal coat of arms and a resulting flag using five bezants and two books; members provided feedback.
Using materials sent from New Zealand by its leading vexo (John Moody), Ted Kaye showed the process through which Kiwis voted in the recent flag referendum.
He also described ongoing efforts to change U.S. city and state flags—the most recent being New Jersey—and the rekindling of the Fiji flag redesign effort.
David Ferriday showed more flag-related tiles and led a discussion on primary colors, the color green, and their use in flags and design.
Patrick Genna, with his usual generosity, gave away flags he’d recently bought at Goodwill.
Nathaniel Mainwaring, who studies flags in 4th grade and enjoys drawing them, shared his notebook and asked for “funwork” suggestions.
John Niggley gave Fred Paltridge a Childe Hassam flag print, and showed a new purchase: the 1992 facsimile reprint of the 1939 Flaggenbuch—the Ottfried Neubecker masterwork. He described his project for employer Pacific Power to erect a 70-foot flag pole (with a 12’ x 18’ flag) at its service center in Roseburg, Oregon.
Our next meeting will be at the home of John Schilke on March 10th. The PFA flag will find its way there somehow!
The next meeting of the Portland Flag Association is at 7 p.m. tomorrow, Thursday, January 14, 2016, to be hosted by Jessie Spillers in the Legends complex in Goose Hollow. You can take the MAX! For directions, see our Next Meeting page.
We look forward to meeting you! Especially those of you who have missed recent meetings. A fun, provocative, and mostly flag-related discussion will be had by all. Soft-drinks and snacks provided.
If you can’t get to the meeting, perhaps you can email editor Ted Kaye something for the next Vexilloid Tabloid.
The Portland Flag Association meets in odd numbered months, so our next meeting is almost here! Michael Orelove will be hosting it at his home in Gresham at 7:00 PM on Thursday, November 12. For details, see the Next Meeting page.
Ted Kaye is back from his travels, with lots of updates from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada! New members are, as always, welcome.
A couple notes on goings-on next month (September 2015):
First: Ted Kaye and Max Liberman will be heading Down Under to represent the PFA at this year’s 26th International Congress of Vexillology, aka the Sydney Flag Conference hosted by Flags Australia and organized by FIAV. FIAV is the International Federation of Vexillological Associations, and holds this international meeting in odd-numbered years. The PFA is one of many vexillological associations that belong to FIAV.
We have heard from New Zealand vexillologist Thomas Lebas that he will be tweeting from the Congress — follow him at @thomaslebas.
Second: We have a minor change of venue for the bimonthly PFA meeting Larry Snyder is hosting on September 10. It’s still at the Oswego Pointe development in Lake Oswego, but we will be using the 20-person Theater, not the Lounge as previously announced. For details, see the Next Meeting page, and the map below.
The Theater features a large HDTV with DVD player, so consider making use of this when you think about what you would like to present at the meeting.
If you are in Portland, please join us tomorrow at 7:00pm for our bimonthly meeting, hosted this time by Ted Kaye. So much has happened in the world of flags these last two months, there is much to talk about!
Directions to the meeting are on the Next Meeting page.
Scott Mainwaring will host the Portland Flag Association at its next meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 8 May. See the Next Meeting page for the address and directions. We hope to see you there!
The Portland Flag Association’s next meeting will be hosted by Patrick Genna at his home in northeast Portland at 7 p.m. on Thursday, 13 March. See the Next Meeting page for the address and directions. We hope to see you there!
The Portland Flag Association begins 2014 with a meeting hosted by Jessie Spillers at his condo in Portland’s Goose Hollow. When? 7 p.m., Thursday, January 12. See the Next Meeting page for details. Hope to see you there!
John Schilke is hosting this month’s meeting of the Portland Flag Association at 7 p.m., Thursday, November 14, 2013. See the Next Meeting page for details. Hope to see you there!
