About 100 people, including school children and city, parish, state and fair dignitaries, gathered outside the whimsically decorated Bogalusa City Hall Thursday morning to celebrate the official beginning of Washington Parish Fair season. The 96th annual fair will take place Oct. 20-24.

The primary business of the event Thursday was the raising of the fair flag, the green, gold, red and white banner adorned with a picnic basket that symbolizes what is reportedly now the largest free fair in the United States.

Fair Vice-President Chick Boyd said each component of the flag has meaning. The green band represents the abundant forests and agriculture in Washington Parish. The gold band is for the fall of the year, when the fair is held. The red band represents the dedication of fair volunteers, he said.

Members of the Bogalusa High School JROTC raise the fair flag, which will fly above Bogalusa City Hall from now through October. The flag will also wave above the parish courthouse in Franklinton. DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Marcelle Hanemann Advertisement

“And the picnic basket is our logo,” said Boyd. “We are the fair with the picnic spirit. The 1911 on the latch is because that was the year of our first fair.”

2009 Washington Parish Fair Honoree Mike Henley came up with the idea of creating a flag for the local fair about 25 years ago, said Boyd. On Thursday, he urged those assembled to recognize the fair’s cultural value and to ensure its continuation through active participation.

Mayor Mack McGehee also praised the big annual event.

“The Washington Parish Fair is a treasure of the community, and we must not take our treasures for granted,” he said.

The flag was raised, with solemn ceremony, by the Bogalusa High School JROTC, then student performers from BHS, Superior Elementary and Pine High schools enlivened the event in an innocent, youthful fashion particularly suited to the occasion.

The Franklinton flag raising will take place at 9 a.m. today in front of the Washington Parish Courthouse. The public is invited to attend.

Boyd additionally encourages everyone to join in the fun and proclaim parish pride by flying the flag above their homes and businesses throughout the month of October.

Fair flags are available for purchase at Hall’s Hardware, Circle T or Bowling Green School in Franklinton and at Dunaway’s Custom Screen Printing in Bogalusa.

A 2-feet-by-3-feet home flag costs $30, and a 4-by-6 business or public building flag costs $70.

For additional information, call Henley at 515-0184.