The Manheim Township Police Department (MTPD) invites the public to the inaugural United States Flag Retirement Service and Ceremony at Oregon Dairy, 1289 Creek Road, Lititz, on Saturday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m.

The ceremony will be featured at Oregon Dairy's Celebration of America, which will include military exhibits, Civil War and Revolutionary War re-enactors, patriotic music by the Ringgold Band, food trucks, a corn maze, and farm activities.

The MTPD has collected more than 1,800 tattered and torn Unites States flags in the last five months and will respectfully retire the collection during this event. Members of the public are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets for seating, as well as any worn, torn, or tattered Unites States flags that they would like to include in the ceremony.

Tickets are required and can be purchased at http://bit.ly/MTPD-Flag-Ceremony, where people may also find more details about the event. For those attending only the flag retirement ceremony at 7 p.m., there is no charge, but a ticket is required for admission.

The MTPD collects worn U.S. flags in a handmade box at Oregon Dairy. The idea for building the box and collecting flags came from MTPD Officer Mark Shivers, a 12-year patrolman. He was inspired by the Patriotic Order Sons of America, which promotes patriotism and love of the U.S. Officer Lucas Starsinic also helped to formulate the plan, as well as build and paint the box, and Detective Nicholas Fritz did the laser engraving on the box cover. The entire project took three to four hours, including painting.