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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2017)
THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM ❘ / SIUSLAWNEWS ❘ @ SIUSLAWNEWS WEDNESDAY EDITION Siuslaw News Coast Life ❘ JUNE 14, 2017 ❘ SECTION B SENIOR NEWS CALENDAR INSIDE — 8B B a n n er ye t w a v e s Florence Flag Day ceremonies include laying Old Glory to rest O n June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed the Flag Resolution, stating, “Resolved, That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” The American flag now features 13 stripes and 50 stars. It is the 27th flag of the U.S. and B Y C HANTELLE was adopted in M EYER July 1960, mak- Siuslaw News ing it the longest-used version. Two hundred forty years after 1777, America still chooses to honor Old Glory with Flag Day each year on June 14. Often preceded by a presidential proclamation, the week surrounding Flag Day is declared National Flag Week. Locally, various civic groups have prepared ceremonies to honor the American flag and share its history. Florence Elks Lodge 1858 is holding a Flag Day Ceremony Wednesday, June 14, at 1686 12th St. The public is welcome to attend the opening reception at 10 a.m. with cof- fee and donuts, followed by the Flag Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. Members of the Elks will give an educational presentation of the first flags of the U.S. and the importance of each. The Knights of Columbus is working with Oregon Coast Military Museum (OCMM) this week with volunteer service and a Flag Ceremony at 11 a.m. This will be a presentation on American Flag heritage. Then, at 4 p.m., American Legion Post 59, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Daughters of the American Revolution, OPEN SOURCE POSTER America celebrates Flag Day on June 14 to commemorate the Second Continental Congress establishing the Flag Resolution in 1777. Although Flag Day isn’t an official feder- al holiday, many states and communities observe it with cer- emonies, parades and more. It is also a chance to remem- ber the many forms the flag has taken in 240 years. The cur- rent flag with 50 stars and 13 stripes is the 27th official flag, but there have been a multitude of other variations over the years. Flag Day is also the start of patriotic celebrations honoring American Independence. For more information on the American flag, attend any of the three Flag Day Ceremonies held in Florence today. local Scout Troops and many more groups will participate in the annual Flag Retirement Ceremony on Bay Street near Veteran’s Memorial Park. The ceremony, beginning at 4 p.m., for- mally and respectfully retires American flags using proper flag etiquette. According to U.S. Flag Code, “when a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified, ceremonious manner.” Community members are encouraged to bring their worn-out flags for proper retirement. “We expect several hundred flags this year, so participation by as many folks as possible would be great,” said American Legion Sergeant-at-Arms Duane Sansome. “For those who wish to participate in the actual retirement of the flags, including children and their parents, we ask you to please show half hour prior to the commencement of the event in order to receive instructions.” American Legion Post Commander Rick Shores will lead the ceremony with post chaplain Don Jordan and a color guard from U.S. Coast Guard Station Siuslaw River. Bleachers will be available for public seating, and parking is available in the lot of the former Lotus Restaurant. The Presidential Flag Week Proclamation in 2016 “called upon the people of the U.S. to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress, as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activ- ities and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.” The Florence area holds patriotic events through July 4 to honor the U.S. Military — OCMM celebrates its sec- ond anniversary on Saturday, July 1 — and American Independence. For more information on July 4 activ- ities, visit florencechamber.com. “Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming, Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
