Community

Flags of Honor marks a decade

It’s not too soon to sponsor a flag in someone’s name

LOCK HAVEN -- Flags for Memorial Day are a tradition now in Triangle Park. This year's Flags of Honor will be the 10th annual display of love, respect and pride.

Flags of Honor is a project of the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven, and the volunteers hope to once again place more than 150 flags in the park.

Can you picture full-sized American flags standing tall in several rows in the heart of our downtown to observe this solemn holiday?

Everyone is invited to be a part of the display, by sponsoring one or more full-sized American flags to remember or honor someone special. It's time to think about the names you'd like to see on a flag plaque this year.

"Many of the flags are dedicated to veterans, soldiers, and first-responders, but the dedications are open to anyone. We're always glad when we help people remember their parents and others they miss, or honor a teacher, a mentor, or a friend," Downtown Rotary President Marianne Lotfi said.

To place an order, mail it with payment to Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven, P.O. Box 634, Lock Haven, PA 17745.

Be sure to include:

-- Your name, phone number, mailing address, and email address.

-- The name and wording you would like on the flag plaque.

-- A check for $35 per flag made out to "Downtown Lock Haven Rotary".

Each name is printed on a plaque and displayed on a flagpole. The names of those honored, as well as their sponsors, will appear in The Express community newspaper and in the official event booklet. Copies of the booklet will be available at the park and will be given out at the public ceremony Sunday, May 26 at 12 p.m.

The awesome flag display will begin the evening of Friday, May 24. The park will be filled with red, white and blue all weekend, until the evening of Tuesday, May 28th. The flags stay flying for that extra day so local residents who traveled over the weekend can see them before they are carefully folded and stored again.

If you send your order soon, you won't have to worry about missing the deadline which is Monday, May 13. Any orders received after that date will be held for the 2025 event.

The fee of $35 remains the same as ever, thanks to corporate sponsors, other friends of the event, and Downtown Rotary's dedication to the project.

And Flags of Honor continues to draw friends and supporters every year.

Nestlerode Contracting Inc. has been an Angel Partner from the very beginning.

Second Cup restaurant was the first business to become a corporate sponsor this year, followed closely by Murray Motors and Reese's Print Shop, and more sponsorships are expected in April.

Corporate sponsorships are available for $100. Each corporate sponsor will be named in the newspaper and the booklet, will be named on a banner during Flags of Honor, and will receive a sign to display in the business.

These sponsorships help the project continue and grow.

Flags of Honor is also a community fundraiser, with everything going to local nonprofits and charities. A few of the organizations that have benefited are Haven Cupboard, Merit House shelter, the Sleep in Heavenly Peace free beds project, and Boxes of Hope for breast cancer survivors.

There wouldn't be a Flags of Honor event without the people who sponsor flags.

"They make it all come together," Lotfi said. "We provide the flags and all that goes with them, but they step up to respect, honor and remember special people in their lives."

If you need more information, text or call Wendy at 570-295-3443, send an email to dlhrotary@gmail.com, or find the club on Facebook.