COAL TOWNSHIP - Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 317, Coal Township, will hold a flag retirement ceremony on Patriots' Day, at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Coal Township Municipal Building.
The ceremony will be open to the public. People are urged to bring any old and tattered flags they want retired; they should also bring lawn chairs for their convenience.
In July 2003, the Coal Township VFW dedicated a flag drop-off box, located in front of the municipal building on Lynn Street. This box was set up for the public to drop off any old or tattered American flags for a proper disposal. The effort has been a success, as every week, a member of the post collects the flags in the box and stores them for disposal. This past July, the post marked the 10-year anniversary of the box being in service.
The retirement ceremony is usually held on Flag Day in June, but because of inclement weather this past June, the ceremony was postponed until now.
The ceremony is usually done privately within the post, but the members of the Coal Township VFW decided to open it to the public to show the proper protocol for disposing of old and worn American flags.
Members of the Shamokin American Legion Post 73 and its ladies auxiliary will help with the ceremony, which will consist of the proper protocol for retiring flags and will end 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 assistance with this ceremony.