Rochester Elks to celebrate Flag Day on Tuesday; public invited

Rochester Elks Lodge main hall flag display (Courtesy photo)

ROCHESTER - The Rochester Elks Lodge will hold its annual Flag Day Services on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Lodge Hall located at 295 Columbus Ave., Rochester.

Past Exalted Ruler Thomas Ducharme will be leading this ceremony. Ladies from the Rochester Emblem Club #40 will present the Flags during the event. There will be a guest speaker to reflect on the importance of Flag Day and light refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the service.

The public is invited to attend this wonderful ceremony. Parents and Grand Parents are encouraged to attend with their school-age children to learn the history of the American Flag.

Local Elks Lodges throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Panama Canal will celebrate Flag Day on Wednesday or on an alternate day approved by the District Deputy. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is the only fraternal organization to require a formal observance of Flag Day.

In July of 1908, the Elks' Grand Lodge provided for the annual nationwide observance of Flag Day on the 14th of June each year, making it mandatory for each subordinate Lodge in the Order. June 14^th was officially established as Flag Day by a proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916.

Flag Day was not a national observance until 1949--President Harry Truman, himself an Elks member, was inspired through his Lodge in Independence Missouri, to sign an act of Congress that dedicated June 14^th to the symbol of our country. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has made more than $14 billion in donations since we first started 155 years ago.

Last year alone, the Elks donated approximately $208 million in cash, gifts, and time to make our communities better places to live. The Elks are one of the premier patriotic and charitable organizations in the United States of America.

New Hampshire has 14 Elks Lodges with over 7,900 members. There are more than 1,900 Elks Lodges across the country with a total membership nearing 800,000. Elks' members must be American citizens who are at least 21 years of age and must believe in God. To learn more visit www.elks.org