Cranberry Elks Honors Flag with Ceremony
The Cranberry Elks Lodge held its annual Flag Day Ceremony on June 9. The event was attended by Elks members, community residents, veterans from the local VFW and members of the Scouts of America, who gathered to celebrate the American flag.
Scouts from Troops 404 and 405 raised the flag in front of the Elks lodge. As the flag was raised, the audience stood in silent reverence, honoring the flag’s journey through American history. The stars and stripes were accompanied by the POW-MIA flag to recognize those who were prisoners of war or went missing in action.
The Elks’ annual ceremony to honor the flag began in 1908, predating the official recognition of Flag Day by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until Aug. 3, 1949, that President Harry Truman, himself a member of the Elks, signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
