 Hi, I'm Leslie McVane. Welcome to CTN member highlight today. I am with Alessa Wiley. Hi Who is with Greater Portland landmarks? You're the education director manager of education programs? Yes today? You're acting as the site manager for the Portland Observatory well as I've told you earlier the Portland Observatory is my favorite landmark in the city and Nobody else has a place like this. Oh, I know we totally agree all of us here. Just absolutely love this place And and I think it shows Definitely and today is flag day today is flag day in 1777 the flag was adopted by the second continental Congress and so we celebrate flag day here since 1939 we've been celebrating flag day well and what an appropriate place to celebrate flag day Yes, definitely the very first restoration of this building occurred and and the restoration was completed in on June 14th 1939 and that was the first time that they celebrated flag day here and have kept that tradition on since then But the flags of all the ships that would come into port would be flown Correct, correct. This building was all about communication It was built for communication and it used flags for that communication And so it is very appropriate that we celebrate flag day as well and what's nicer than a flag I mean, it doesn't matter whether it's a country's flag or a banner proclaiming joy and happiness Exactly exactly. There's something very Uplifting about a flag and just especially seeing it today flying in the wind or sometimes whipping today in the wind It's just a beautiful sight and I believe today is the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson Signing this in as an official day. Well, that's I didn't know that that's terrific checked online. I like that That's terrific. So tell us how many years has landmarks been opening the observatory for flag day free for the public free Well, since actually 2000 is in the building underwent a whole major restoration at the end of the 90s and it reopened On flag day in 2000 and so basically we've been celebrating ever since and this is early in the day But you've already had a 90 some odd people. We have we've had this nice steady stream of people all morning and we're expecting to be Continuing this afternoon and we're even open late till 7 o'clock tonight to kind of get some Be available for people coming home. Tell me what the most asked question about the observatory is Oh, I think how many stairs are there to the top and a hundred and four Although some say a hundred and three, but we're sticking with a hundred and four so and the idea that it's Looks like a lighthouse and it's on land in the middle of the city. Yes. That is another question This is not a lighthouse and no it is not a lighthouse It was built for communication and that was its main purpose and it communicated from ship to shore using flags So it was a very simple process that was developed by captain Lemuel moody Who was the person who built this in 1807 and and it just continued on being used until 1923 when the two-way radio came into being and it was no longer needed now I used to live right next door and I know that when the cruise ships come in if they have a flag of a cruise ship They will still do that. Yes, we do we do try to fly some of the flags of the cruise ships Just to continue that tradition of letting everyone know what what cruise ship is here and I love that and I and I love that That the women whose husbands were out to see because traditionally that's the way it work Correct could look up at the top of the observatory could be seen from anywhere in the city and know whose ship was ship was coming in Exactly, exactly and captain moody was quite the entrepreneur so they could also climb up to the top if they paid 12.5 cents so well, I know it's free today. Yeah, but even when you charge something you're not far from that You know No, we do charge it's $10 to go to the top We have a reduced rate for for Portland residents and we also have a discount slight discount for AAA and seniors and that but Everyone just loves coming here and and getting the view from the top Well, there's nothing like the view from the top and we're gonna go take a peek. Thank you so much. Well, thank you so much and enjoy