'It's an exciting time to be here': Milwaukee celebrates 414 Day with annual flag drop outside City Hall

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — April 14 is 414 Day, a celebration of all things Milwaukee.

The tradition has expanded every year, paying homage to what makes the city so great.

The fun started at Milwaukee Fire Department Station 14, where Mayor Cavalier Johnson boarded Engine 14, temporarily renamed Engine 414, for a ride to City Hall.

"We've got cultural and community events that are going on in every neighborhood around this city all the time. City of Festivals, right?" said Chief Aaron Lipski, from the Milwaukee Fire Department. "It's just an exciting time to be here."

Just after 11:30 a.m., more than 100 people gathered outside Milwaukee City Hall for the 414 flag drop, a now six-year-long tradition honoring Milwaukee and its people.

"You are the ones that make 414, you are the ones that make this city, you are the ones that make Milwaukee a special, special place," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson. "From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you for being here, thank you for being proud, proud Milwaukeeans each and every single day."

This year's flag drop had an extra special touch, as children from the Indian Community School performed an original Ojibwe drum song, acknowledging the city's native roots.

“This land is originally Menominee, Ho-Chunk, it was the gathering place of different tribes that would pass through," said Audra Two Thunders, the Our Ways coordinator from Indian Community School.

She says it's important for her students who live on reservations to understand Milwaukee is their city, too.

"Let's be proud of what we're doing here, and give a presence and tell our own story," Two Thunders explained.

The party continued across the city, including at the Harley Davidson Museum, with a toast at 4:14 p.m. and a 4-pound, 4-ounce burger eating competition.