Flag Day Ceremony Saturday at the FFF Lot

by Barbara Mastriania

RENOVO – We’re just days away from Flag Day and a program featuring several community organizations and a ceremony to burn unserviceable flags.

Wayne Stoltz, commandant of Bucktail Detachment 856 of the Marine Corps League and a trustee with the Renovo Elks Club lodge said this year’s program is designed to hopefully bring out residents of the community.

Traditionally, he said, Western Clinton County Veterans Council, comprised of Renovo’s VFW, the American Legion and the Marine Corps League held the Flag Day Ceremony at the Flaming Foliage Festival lot near the bridge. The ceremony consisted solely the burning of unserviceable flags and was sparsely attended by local citizens. The Elks also has a Flag Day Ceremony. Attendance for it was also low.

The plans for this year include combining the two ceremonies and adding additional features including participation with the Renovo Area Community Choir and Boy Scout Troop 137 of Renovo.

The Elks ceremony is about 30 minutes long and entails the presentation of a series of flags that at once were the standard colors for our county.
The ceremony will include the presentation of various flags and a patriotic song that captures that era and a short history of each particular flag.

The program will be at the FFF lot and begins at 6 p.m. The Elks will start the program. Paul (Flip) Mills will introduce the flag. A Boy Scout will walk out with the appropriate flag. As he is going to his position the Community Choir will sing the song that goes with the flag. When the flag is in place, the others will follow, one at a time.

After the Elks, Community Choir and Boy Scouts have completed their portion of the ceremony, Veteran Tom Tarantella, who was the Democratic candidate for the 5th
Congressional District will give a patriotic address.

The program ends with WCCVC conducting the burning of the unserviceable flags.