Picture: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald
Picture: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald
Picture: Ellysa Harris/Plainview Herald
Plainview Elks, Scouts retire American flags
A bunch of Elks Lodge members and members of native Boy Scouts and Woman Scouts troops gathered outdoors the Lodge Saturday morning to ceremoniously retire what was believed to be not less than 200-plus American flags. Harrison Hart, exalted ruler of the Plainview Elks, stated flags are retired for quite a few causes. They may have touched the bottom, they may have been torn, they may be worn or possibly they violated the flag code in different methods. Merely throwing out a flag violates the flag code. Disposing of them within the ritualistic approach organized by The Elks is one of the simplest ways to eliminate them honorably. The ceremony is historically hosted on Flag Day, which was June 14. With all the realm COVID-19 exercise, plans needed to be rescheduled, Hart famous. The ceremony started with members of the Lodge beginning a managed burn in a hearth pit located within the car parking zone. Hart, who can also be a Plainview Firefighter, was one of many Elks members who helped tame the hearth. Following a gaggle salute to the flags, the Scouts commenced taking the flags one after the other to the firepit the place the flags have been individually saluted earlier than being thrown in. It’s unclear what number of flags made it within the pit however there have been numerous nonetheless ready when the membership selected to chop the retirement brief because of the quantity of flag materials not burning adequately contained in the pit. The ceremony was minimize brief and Elks members advised the Scouts the remaining flags could be formally retired at a later date. The Elks then recited a historical past of the evolution of the American flag and provided one final group salute earlier than dismissal.
