ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
A dawn to dusk portrait of a community that unites once a year to celebrate the values that bind together the disparate elements and points of view of a classic Midwestern American small town.
SYNOPSIS
Three Oaks, Michigan, a farming community in southwest Michigan, embodies the values of classic small-town America but today is at a cultural, political, and economic inflection point. The town’s economy for decades has been based in agriculture and farming, but in recent years a wave of wealthy Chicagoans has moved to Three Oaks and brought with them art galleries, boutiques, spas, and expensive restaurants and bars. This trend of gentrification began years ago and accelerated markedly during the pandemic as remote work became the norm.
Every summer for the past 71 years, this small town has staged what it claims to be the largest Flag Day celebration parade in the United States. The first parade, in 1953, featured approximately 20 parade units. That number has grown to well over 100, and it is expected that the June 2024 parade will be the largest yet. The parade is always bigger in presidential election years as it attracts local and regional politicians from all points on the political spectrum. The parade features units of veterans, drill teams, pageant courts, equestrian groups, antique tractors (with the green John Deere tractors competing against the red International tractors), musical marching units, clowns, antique cars and trucks, politicians, drum and bugle corps, and elderly Shriners on mini bikes.
Flag Day the documentary will feature six key participants in the Flag Day parade throughout their preparations for the parade and during parade day. The film will be an observational portrait of a community that comes together each year in June to celebrate the flag and the shared values of small town America.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Andrew Shea, Melissa Shea
PRODUCER Andrew Shea, Melissa Shea
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