Clubs honor patriotic holidays with lease a flag projects
This is the second year the West Lafayette Lions Club has partnered with the West Lafayette Rotary Club for the lease a flag project.
Lions Club members place flags on personal properties and at area businesses around the West Lafayette community, according to Lions Club President Dan Hardesty. “We have 70 flag placements at this time. People appreciate it and it does look nice.”
According to Hardesty, each member is responsible to place 10 to 14 flags and maintain them. “We replace any flag that has been stolen, ripped or destroyed. The Rotary takes care of the administrative part of the project and the Lions Club does the labor and maintenance. Sometimes a flag gets damaged and we replace it with a new one. The one at Schumaker Farms was run over by a car and we had to replace it.”
The flags will be on display for Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Labor Day and Veteran’s Day, then placed in storage until next year.
“Also, President Trump asked us to display flags in the village months ago as a show of patriotism while the country deals with the coronavirus pandemic,” Hardesty said.
The cost is $25 to lease a flag for the entire year and can be paid in cash or by check. Applications are available at the Ridgewood General Store or you can mail a check to the General Store, 101 E. Main St., West Lafayette, OH 43812. Please be sure to include your name, mailing address, email address (if applicable) and phone number. Make checks payable to West Lafayette Rotary Club.
Profits will be divided between the two clubs to support various projects in the community such as the public schools, the village of West Lafayette, Dollars for Scholars, the West Lafayette Fire Department, and last year’s flood victims. For more information, call Dan Hardesty at 740-610-6068 or Jay Davis at 740-294-0524.
The Coshocton Rotary Club is also operating a lease a flag program. Cost is $25 a year. Flags are put up for every patriotic holiday between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day.
Rotary President Jeff Eikenberry said almost 600 flags are going out this year in Coshocton. “We started it in 2013 for individuals and businesses but now offer it for local cemeteries to honor family members. The project brings Rotary members together placing flags out a few days before each holiday and picking them up a few days after. Unless the holidays are close together, then they stay up for a couple of weeks. For example, during Labor Day and Constitution Day.”
Constitution Day is a federal holiday commemorating the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787.
“People think it looks great. It’s a very good fundraiser and it helps fund a lot of local projects,” Eikenberry said.
To honor a loved one at a city cemetery, flags can be purchased in memory of your loved ones. Flag placement is offered in any of the four city cemeteries – Oak Ridge, South Lawn, Caldersburg, and Roscoe. Please include the cemetery name, name on the stone, section number and grave number.
Payment (along with address, phone and email if available) can be sent to PO Box 675 Coshocton, OH or paid by credit card on the Coshocton Rotary website. Any questions can be directed to 740-294-9708 or email coshoctonrotary@gmail.com.
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