Flag Day is celebrated every year on June 14th but this year the Elks Club wanted to do something different. In the past, local seniors have been invited to the Elks building on Main Street for a flag ceremony. On Saturday, Elks member and senior center president Cheryl Soshnik says the festivities are being moved to the Senior Center at 1361 Woodside Ave., and the public is invited to join.
“It's beautiful, it's June, and we decided that we wanted to do it outside. And so, this is the first time that the seniors and the Elks will be getting together at the senior center. And it's also the first time that the Elks are inviting the public to their Flag Day ceremony. They have been doing it continually, as a national organization since 1907, long before Flag Day actually even became a holiday. So, it's a very important tradition for Elks and, and so this year, we'd like to open it up to the public.”
Elks member Ben Anderson has the details for Saturday’s celebration.
“This Saturday, June 18, from 11 to one, we're inviting the public, and we hope they'll come out and celebrate our country, celebrate our flag, and sing some songs. And then we're going to have wonderful food that's being donated by The Cabin. So, there'll be dogs and burgers and you know, potato chips and potato salad, and of course, the all- important pie at the end by Auntie Em’s Pies. So please, please come out and support the flag, support the Elks and the seniors, and support our community and our country.”
There is no parking at the senior center, but it’s a short walk to City Park. There is also some parking across the street from the Library.
While everything is free, the event is a fundraiser and all donations collected will go to Meals on Wheels.
Anderson says the Elks Club is an organization built on providing community service.
“We date all the way back to the 1880s here in Park City. The Elks helped build the Miners Hospital, Glenwood cemetery and we were the ones who decided to have a flag day and honor it . It wasn’t until Harry S. Truman, who was an Elk himself in 1949 made it a national holiday. So, we feel that this is in our DNA at Elks, and that is service and benevolence to our community and to others who are in need.”
To join the senior center, people must be at least 60 years old. To be a member of the Elks Club, people must be U.S. citizens over 21 years old who believe in God.
