I have been asked by my American Legion Post 256 to write a letter/report on a Flag Day ceremony held on Aug. 29, 2023, at the Cobblestone Arts Center in Farmington, N.Y. Post 256 of Canandaigua, N.Y., the Order of Elks of Canandaigua and the Marine Corps Service League of Canandaigua jointly held a moving ceremony describing the history of our glorious flag.
How this came about: Post 256 sponsored a day “At the Ballpark” (baseball) for members and their families. The Cobblestone Arts Center offered free rides on their buses for our older members to get to the ballpark and back to the post. In return, we promised that we would put on a Flag Day ceremony for the Arts Center on their stage. The lesson I came to learn is that the Elks have the honor to do all Flag Day ceremonies. I asked the Post 256 executive committee if it would be OK to have a joint event with the Elks. Well, with much cooperation and communication among all three groups of veterans, we set a date to hold it.
The reason the ceremony was not held outdoors on June 14 is that it was raining cats and dogs that day as we began destroying by fire the tattered flags entrusted to our Legion ... we never got to see the Flag Day ceremony on that rainy day.
We planned together, we communicated together, and on the day of the event we shared the stage of the Cobblestone Arts Center. I asked a friend of mind, a photo hobbyist, if he could shoot photos of the event and layout the performance in a short descriptive video.
Not having ever witnessed a ceremony like this before, I was quite moved. It began with a short intro and went through the history of the many stages of flags this glorious country used throughout its growing years, from the Pine Tree flag all the way to the MIA flag, followed by the sounding of taps. It was moving, attentive and not a dry eye in the house at the end, with an amazing ovation by the masses in attendance. It is my intention to offer a standing salute to all who took part.

Link to photo gallery: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1UFILnU5wcnyLIv9Yt-BHwxziEquCvQZw