The Santa Clarita Valley Elks Lodge No. 2379 held a special ceremony and presentation on Friday evening for National Flag Day to educate the community and younger generations on the history and significance of the American flag. Scout troops No.
313 and No. 383 along with the Santa Clarita Valley Young Marines were in attendance, participating during the presentation and lending a helping hand when it was needed. The Elks Lodge hosts the National Flag Day presentation every year as a requirement for the organization, but Elks member and ceremony chairperson Tom Schmidt aims at not just educating the attendees, but also bringing in new faces to learn about its importance.
“The first time I came [to the Flag Day presentation] there was very few people,” he said. He wanted more people to come and learn about the history because it’s too important for it to be ignored, he said. For the presentation, eight flags of the United States dating back to the year 1777 were put on display by the Scouts and young Marines as Elks Lodge members shared the history of each design and when it was introduced.
“I just respect our flags. A lot of our citizens died to make those flags for our country. It’s really important that we recognize that and these kids here recognize it,” said Schmidt.
Elks Lodge Chaplain Lia Piedra, a Marine veteran, delivered an emotional spoken-word presentation about what the American Flag represents. “The stars and stripes, symbolizing the divine right of.
