Since 1908, the Elks Grand Lodge has required each subordinate lodge in the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks to observe Flag Day on June 14 annually. President Woodrow Wilson established the holiday by proclamation in 1916, but it did not become a national observance until 1949 when President Harry Truman, who was an Elk, was inspired through his lodge in Missouri to sign an act of Congress that dedicated the day to the symbol of our country.

The Columbia-Middletown Elks 1074 will host its annual Flag Day ceremony in the gazebo in Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St., Columbia, on Sunday, June 11. The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. Elks officers and trustees, led by Exalted Ruler Jeff Jones, will present the Elks Flag Day ceremony to celebrate the history of the U.S. flag.

As Jones noted, multiple local organizations will help with the ceremony, including the Frontier Girls, Boy Scout Troop 35 and Columbia Cub Pack 35. Mayor Leo Lutz will address the audience and issue a proclamation. The Frontier Girls and the Boy Scouts will hand out small flags and lapel pins to audience members prior to the ceremony. Chris Prestia from Columbia School of Music will provide music for the ceremony.

Jones explained that local Elks Lodges throughout the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal celebrate Flag Day on or around the official date of June 14. He noted that the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is the only fraternal organization to require a formal observance of Flag Day.

The Elks, a patriotic and charitable organization, has nearly 2,000 lodges across the country and a total membership of more than 750,000. The Elks has made more than $12 billion in donations since the organization started 155 years ago. Locally, Columbia-Middletown Elks 1074 has more than 620 members and has invested more than $300,000 in the local community over the past five years. To learn more about the Elks, visit http://www.elks.org or follow "Columbia-Middletown Elks #1074" on Facebook.