Flag Day: Elks Cheer for the Red, White and Blue

To mark the holiday that salutes the nation's star-spangled banner, Parsippany Elks Lodge #2078 will hold a commemorative event ceremony tonight at 7 p.m. The celebration will take place at the Elks' lodge at at 230 Parsippany Rd.  

Frank Grablutz, a 47-year lodge member, welcomes all Parsippany residents to celebrate the flag with the Elks.

"You should come!" he exclaimed. "There will be seven to eight different United States flags used during the ceremony.  The lodge officers dress in tuxes.  It is a great event.”  

Since the event begins at an early hour, the ceremony could make for an educational family event that is ideal for kids of all ages.

And when it comes to our flag, there is plenty of interesting information to know:

• The “stars and stripes” flag was made official on June 14, 1777, by the Second Continental Congress.
• President Woodrow Wilson declared Flag Day in 1916.
• Congress officially adopted June 14 as “National Flag Day” in 1949.

The tradition continues today. On June 10, President Obama issued a proclamation honoring the stars and stripes. It reads in part:

I, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2011, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 12, 2011, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all federal government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag.

For more information, head to the National Flag Day Foundation website.  And visit Patch tomorrow for coverage of this evening’s Elks Lodge event.