Organizations tout flag etiquette

BANGOR – Today is Flag Day and just around the corner is Independence Day. This means the Stars and Stripes will be brought out and displayed on many doorsteps and businesses around the nation and in Maine.

It sometimes will be displayed improperly, which is why service organizations want people to know the dos and don’ts of the patriotic practice.

The first American flag was adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, 226 years ago.

Old Glory – as a symbol of the nation’s union, of its struggle for independence and of the sacrifices of the brave men and women who gave their lives in battle – should be displayed properly. The following is a summary of flag etiquette:

. Flags should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset unless proper lighting is provided at night.

. Flags flown during inclement weather need to be all-weather.

. The flag always should be raised briskly and taken down slowly and ceremoniously and should never be allowed to touch the ground.

. The flag always should be displayed more prominently and should be higher when with other flags.

Anyone who wants to join Flag Day ceremonies in Bangor has several choices.

Bangor’s 15th annual Flag Day ceremony will take place at the waterfront at 11:45 a.m. Saturday. The Penobscot Wind Ensemble will provide music and retired U.S. Army Col. William Deering is the designated speaker.

“It’s a day to just show tribute to the flag – our American flag,” said organizer Judy Butler.

Several other musical activities will take place throughout the day. At 5 p.m. the Ellsworth American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will lower the flag at the Bangor waterfront. The veterans also will bring a display of historic American flags and a miniature of the “The Wall” from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

A Flag Day ceremony, sponsored by the Bangor Lodge of Elks 244, will take place at the Elks Lodge, 108 Odlin Road, from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

“We have one of every flag that the United States has ever had,” said Richard W. Carver, secretary of Lodge 244. “We will have a ceremony where officers present each flag and give a short narration.”

The Elks auxiliary, the Emblem Club Ladies, will help with the ceremony. The public is welcome.

Sports fans can celebrate Flag Day with a meet-and-greet with some of the Bangor Lumberjacks baseball team and their mascot, Jack Timber, from noon to 2 p.m. at America’s Mattress and Furniture Gallery, 610 Broadway. Free hot dogs and soda will be provided.

The Cole Land Transportation Museum, located at 405 Perry Road, will hold a 1 p.m. raising of the colors in memory of two fallen members. There will be no charge to enter the museum on Saturday, which is its opening day for the season.

For more on flag etiquette visit: www.ushistory.org.