R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press At the American Legion in Gladstone, veterans fold unserviceable flags that will be properly disposed of during a Flag Day disposal ceremony on Saturday, June 14.

ESCANABA — The Escanaba Elks #354 will hold a Flag Day ceremony at the Marketplace — on the corner of Ludington Street and 15th Street — this year.

The ceremony at the Escanaba Marketplac​e begins at 11 a.m. on Flag Day itself, Saturday, June 14.

Nationwide, Elks Lodges have taken it upon themselves to conduct ceremonies that honor the flag and educate people about its history and proper observations. The Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks in 1907 declared June 14 as Flag Day and by 1911 made it a requirement for all its lodges to observe the holiday.

The date was selected because the flag of 13 stripes and 13 stars was adopted as the official national symbol of the United States of America on June 14, 1777 by the Continental Congress. In 1916 and in 1927, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge issued proclamations to recognize National Flag Day. But it wasn’t until 1949 that Flag Day was officially established by an Act of Congress and President Harry Truman, himself an Elk, signed it into law.

The nation has come a long way since its founding, and the ceremony that Elks Lodge #354 will hold on Saturday with the help of the Scouts will reflect that.

In the presence of the Escanaba City Band and attending citizens, young Scouts will present past flags from previous eras of the country one by one.

“Scouts will present each flag from the start of the flag to present, and there’s a reading on each flag giving the description of each flag,” explained Elks Lodge #354 Exalted Ruler Jamie McDonough.

Symbolism plays largely into ceremonies around the flag. In addition to the pattern on the fabric, each of the 13 folds of the triangular parcel that is the folded American flag has its own meaning and significance, too.

Throughout the year, worn flags deemed unserviceable are collected at various posts. If anyone has damaged flags, they may bring them to the ceremony at the Marketplace on Saturday, where the Elks will have a collection bin for flags to be retired later.

“The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning,” proclaims the United States Flag Code.

The Elks refer to their ceremony for destruction, undertaken when a disposal box becomes full, as the “Ritual for the Flag Retirement Service.” The American Legion has the “Ceremony for the Disposal of Unserviceable Flags,” which takes place at night.

Citizens may also dispose of flags themselves, but the process is supposed to be similarly respectful. According to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the flag should be customarily folded, and placed on a fire only when it is intense enough to completely consume the flag. Individuals are requested to then salute the flag, recite the Pledge of Allegiance, and bury the ashes after the fire is extinguished.

Though the Flag Day ceremony in Escanaba has in the past been held at the Karas Bandshell in Ludington Park, that location was reserved this year for another event that runs from noon to 4 p.m. A group called “Delta County Unified” is holding a Flag Day rally “in celebration of our flag and country” and in opposition to the current White House administration. Featuring speakers on the topics of Veterans Affairs, Native American issues, immigration and local government, it is one of many “No Kings” protests around the country on June 14 — also the day of the military parade in Washington, which marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and President Trump’s birthday.