A daily ritual for 22 years - Chick and Ruth's Delly in Annapolis

Pledge of Allegiance to the flag - but why is one man sitting?!

Home of the US Naval Academy, Annapolis is a patriotic town. It's so patriotic that the hustle and bustle of serving customers comes to a complete halt every morning at 8:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday) at Chick and Ruth's Delly as customers, servers, and cooks recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

This ritual, which has been a daily event since 1989, always reminds me of the long ago days in elementary school when I said the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag with my classmates every morning and makes me realize how different my childhood was from that of our American/Swiss children.  For some reason, perhaps to reassure myself that I raised world citizens who also merit their American passports, I always confirm that they know the words, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all."  I know, I know - it annoys them too, but it's one of those things that I can't seem to help!

We usually try to have breakfast at Chick and Ruth's Delly at least once while we're in town. Sometimes we make it in time for the Pledge of Allegiance and sometimes we don't, but it's always a fun place to start the day because it's so different from having coffee and croissants in a Parisian cafe.

Does anyone know if American schoolchildren still say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning?

Chick and Ruth's Delly
165 Main Street
Annapolis, Maryland

People waiting to eat at Chick and Ruth's Delly

Comments

  1. I've never gone here, don't know how I missed it in my many visits to Annapolis.

    My niece and nephew do not say the pledge at school. But they must say it sometime, so I'm going to find out.

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  2. I don't know about every school district in every state, but I taught elementary school for 36 years in California and saying the Pledge of Allegiance was part of our morning routine, it was expected in every school in the district I worked for, right after calling names for attendance every morning.

    Barbara

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  3. Wait, my 12 year old niece just told me that they say it everyday in school and before assemblies. She goes to school in Virginia. I'm still waiting to confirm with my niece and nephew in Cincinnati.

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  4. Barbara, Thanks for letting us know what happens in CA. And thanks for being an elementary school teacher for 36 years! I used to help once a week in my children's classrooms and have a great deal of admiration for teachers.

    Joseph, Thanks for checking with your nieces and nephew about what happens in VA and OH. I'll be curious to hear what the report is from Cincinnati.

    Chick and Ruth's is easy to miss if you don't know about it. It's located in a rather narrow building on Main St. They get a lot of national coverage in the press about both the Pledge of Allegiance and their Colossal Challenge. They were recently featured on the Food Network.

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  5. Well, I stand corrected. In Cincy, they also say it everyday. So, three for three in my family. I wonder at what age they stop saying it. Certainly in junior high school no one says it.

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  6. Looking at our cross country sampling (VA, OH, and CA) the Pledge of Allegiance is still said in States across the country. Thanks again for checking with your family, Joseph.

    If I remember correctly, I think that we still said the Pledge in 6th grade but not in junior high.

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  7. They say the pledge of allegiance in every state, and everyday in kindergarden, elementary school, middle school, and high school. In college they stop.

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