Cape Henlopen Elks Lodge 2540 holds Flag Day ceremony

The Cape Henlopen Elks Lodge 2540 held a three-part ceremony to commemorate Flag Day June 14. The ceremony began with the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," written by Francis Scott Key as he was being detained on a British troop ship about four miles off the coast of Baltimore. He had boarded the ship to negotiate the release of an American civilian imprisoned by the British. He was detained as the bombardment of Fort McHenry began.

As the dawn's early light revealed a American flag flying over the fort Sept. 14, 1814, he began jotting down the lines of the song that has become the national anthem. The ceremony continued with a parade of the nation's flags from the first to the present. A brief history of each flag was read as it was carried in. That portion of the ceremony concluded with the singing of "God Bless America."

The second part of the ceremony was the awarding of certificates of participation, Visa gift cards and a miniature flag to the winners of an Americanism essay contest. The contest was divided into two divisions. Division One was for fifth- and sixth-graders, and Division Two was for seventh- and eighth-graders. Two hundred sixty-five students participated by submitting an essay on What the Pledge of Allegiance Means to Me.

The third part of the ceremony was the respectful burning of retired flags from all over Sussex County. Flags are collected through the year by various organizations, stored, and turned over to the Elks for the Flag Burning Ceremony. This year, over 700 flags were respectfully retired by the Flag Retirement Team of Wayne Braddock, Ed Guditus and Paul Smallwood. All guests were treated to a light fare luncheon following the ceremonies.