Worn U.S. flags sought for Elks Club Oct. 19 ceremony

Worn U.S. flags sought for Elks Club Oct. 19 ceremony

Thousand Oaks Elks Lodge No. 2477 will conduct its 11th annual flag retirement ceremony at 1 p.m. Sun., Oct. 19 at 158 Conejo School Road, Thousand Oaks, in conjunction with their sponsoring Boys, Girls, Brownie, Cub and Explorer Venture Scouting units.

The public is invited to bring worn and torn old flags that are no longer in service to be "honorably retired" in what the Elks describe as "a patriotic, colorful, inspirational and ceremony."

The Scouts will open the ceremony by presenting the colors. The Elks chaplain will make the invocation, and the lodge officers will present the flags to be retired.

The Scouts will conduct the retirement ceremony.

There are 13 stripes representing the original 13 colonies and as they remove each stripe one at a time and lower it into the funeral pyre, a patriotic message will be delivered.

Following the service, the Elks will present an ice cream social. Those wishing to have their flags retired can drop them off at the Thousand Oaks Elks Lodge. For more information, please call Greg Metzgus at (805) 496-2477.