BANGOR – The rain didn’t stop the celebration of Flag Day on Tuesday evening at the waterfront.

A group of nearly 50 spectators came prepared, adorned in rain gear and gripping their umbrellas.

“What a wonderful day to celebrate the flag,” organizer Judy Butler said. “[The flag] flies for us no matter what the weather is.”

Butler retired from the U.S. post office in the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building 18 years ago. While employed there, she organized the annual Flag Day event.

After Butler’s retirement, Sen. Smith asked her who would continue the ceremonies. Butler made a promise to Smith that she would continue the celebration until she was 100 years old.

Tuesday’s ceremony, although wet, went smoothly. The Sweet Adelines sang patriotic songs, including the national anthem and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

The young girls of the Mary Drew Dance Studio in Orono danced to “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy,” among other tunes. The Center Drive Singers and members of the Brewer Methodist Church were also on hand.

Butler described Flag Day to those in attendance as a special holiday.

“Flag Day is a day to think about what the flag stands for,” she said, comparing it to holidays such as Memorial Day.

The steady rain didn’t hinder one woman’s spirit while at the Flag Day event.

Marion Hatt, 53, of Eddington said she attends the ceremony each year regardless of the weather and explained that the flag has special meaning to her.

“It stands for the history and for the love of our country,” she said while sporting her long skirt decorated with several American flags and holding her umbrella. “I remember saluting the flag in my early childhood. The flag has always meant a lot for me.”

The celebration also included re-enactors dressed as Sarah Chamberlain, Hannibal Hamlin and Betsy Ross. “Hamlin” read the poem “From My Mother’s Eyes.”

The ceremony ended with the Hermon High School ROTC and the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, both of Ellsworth, retiring the colors.