COAL TOWNSHIP - Coal Township Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 317 is planning a flag retirement ceremony for 6 p.m. Flag Day, Tuesday, at the Coal Township Municipal Building, 805 W. Lynn St.
The ceremony is open to the public. People are urged to attend and bring with them any old or tattered American flags that they wish to be retired. Also, anyone attending should bring a lawn chair.
The Coal Township VFW dedicated a flag drop-off box in July 2003 in front of the municipal building for the public to drop off any worn or tattered American flags for proper disposal. Due to the huge success of the drop-off box and old flags collected from local cemeteries, a flag retirement ceremony has become necessary.
Every week, a member of the post collects the flags from the drop-off box. Since its dedication, the post has collected more than 100,000 American flags of various sizes. Post officials said they are grateful to the citizens who chose to use the drop-off box so their flags can have a proper disposal.
The ceremony is usually conducted privately. The Coal Township VFW decided to make it open to the public so people can experience and be informed on the proper protocol for retiring old and worn American flags.
Shamokin American Legion Post 73 will help with the ceremony, which ends with the playing of patriotic music.
The Coal Township VFW expressed appreciation to the Coal Township Board of Commissioners and the Maine Fire Company for their permission and help in making the ceremony possible.