We all know what the American flag looks like, but have you ever considered how it used to be? The Columbia-Middletown Elks Lodge 1074 will feature various versions of the flag at a Flag Day ceremony on Sunday, June 9,  at 1 p.m. in the gazebo in Locust Street Park, Columbia. Attendees may view the pine tree flag adopted in 1775, the snake flag used by the Southern colonies from 1776 to 1777, the Continental colors that represented the 13 colonies and others.

The Elks officers and trustees, led by Exalted Ruler Sue Luttman, will present the Elks Flag Day ceremony to celebrate the history of our country's flag. Boy Scout Troop 35, Columbia Cub Scout Pack 35 and members of the Frontier Girls will hand out small flags and lapel pins to audience members prior to the ceremony's start. The guest speaker will be Lancaster County Commissioner Ray D'Agostino, and Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz will address the audience and issue a proclamation. Music for the ceremony will be provided by Chris Prestia of Columbia School of Music.

Local Elks lodges throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal celebrate Flag Day on or around the official date of the holiday, June 14. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks requires a formal observance of Flag Day and has done so since 1908, before the day became a national holiday. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established Flag Day by a proclamation, but it did not become a national observance until 1949, when President Harry Truman, who was an Elks member, signed an act of Congress dedicating June 14 to the American flag.

"The Elks is a very patriotic organization," said Luttman. "We hold the Flag Day ceremony to honor veterans and also to provide information and the history of all of the different flags we've had since the inception of our country."

It's important to the organization to not only recognize the flag, but also to keep future generations informed of the flag's significance, she said.

"We like including the youth in our ceremony because it's important for them to understand the history of our country," she explained. "The history of our flag is the history of our country."

Luttman encourages anyone with an interest in learning more about the flag or in honoring our country to come to the Flag Day ceremony.

"It's a way to get the community together to remember where our country came from and to remember that we have the freedom we have because of the flag of our country," she said.