News, Tours & Events
Third Annual Flag Retirement Ceremony to be Held at Forest Lawn
Posted on June 7th, 2011Event offers the public proper disposal of flags.
Buffalo, NY - According to the U.S. Flag Code, “When a flag is so worn it is no longer fit to serve as a symbol of our country, it should be destroyed by burning in a dignified manner.” On Sunday, June 12, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Boy Scouts of America: Greater Niagara Frontier Council; Girl Scouts of Western New York; Erie County American Legion, City of Buffalo Fire Department, Rotary Club of Buffalo and The Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation will host the second annual Flag Retirement Ceremony at Forest Lawn. The event will be held near the gravesite of Sara Hinson, a Buffalo schoolteacher credited with being one of the founders of Flag Day. A local actress portraying Miss Hinson will be at the ceremony to discuss the origins of Flag Day.
The public is invited to bring their unusable flags to this free event for proper retirement. Anyone bringing a flag to be burned will receive a specially-stamped certificate; the stamps, unused certificates and the ashes from the burned flags will be interred at Forest Lawn.
New flags of various sizes will be available for purchase, with proceeds to benefit the Boy Scouts of America: Greater Niagara Frontier Council; Girl Scouts of Western New York and The Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation.
Sara Hinson began Flag Day exercises (teaching the children to salute the flag and repeat the Pledge of Allegiance) to instill in her pupils proper respect for the nation’s flag, holding the first ceremony in 1891. She chose June 14 because on that day in 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the stars and stripes as the official flag of the United States.
The following year, other teachers and other schools did the same and, over the years, the idea caught on around the country. On May 30, 1916, President Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of Flag Day; in 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating the 14th day of June every year as National Flag Day.
The Flag Retirement Ceremony project is an ongoing partnership between Forest Lawn and Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts throughout Western New York. The idea for the event was originated in 2007 by Joseph P. Dispenza, president of Forest Lawn, through his desire to help the community reconnect to scouting, citizenship and service to country. Thomas Slomka, Vice Chairman, Red Jacket District, Boy Scouts of America: Greater Niagara Frontier Council, and Pat Coviello, Scout Executive/CEO with the Boy Scouts of America: Greater Niagara Frontier Council supported Mr. Dispenza’s idea, and the Flag Retirement Ceremony was born. It has become a standing program of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council, and has attracted the partnership of the Girl Scouts of Western New York, The Erie County American Legion, City of Buffalo Fire Department and Rotary Club of Buffalo. The ceremony is held each year on the Sunday before Flag Day. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.forestlawnflagretirement.com.
NOTE: The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be viewable live, via webcam, on the Forest Lawn website from approximately 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 12 to 9:00 p.m. that evening.
About The Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation
The mission of the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation is to sustain the beauty, tell the stories and assure the future of Forest Lawn, which is one of Western New York’s greatest public spaces, where people from all walks of life are welcome to stroll or jog, picnic, study their family’s past, marvel at a work of art, join a tour, listen to music or hear a lecture in our chapel. Recognizing that the future is our past, the Foundation also helps educate teachers, students and the public about the vast cultural, historical and natural resources of Forest Lawn. It is through support of the Foundation that we are able to provide educational and entertaining events. To learn more about the goals and objectives of the Forest Lawn Heritage Foundation or our The Future Is Our Past campaign, please call Forest Lawn President Joseph P. Dispenza at (716) 885.1600.
