Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Boy Scout Troop 226 members Thomas Lobstein, left, and Matthew Del Toro, with the help of Cheryle Csakan, fold an old American flag to be disposed of as part of the new flag retirement program.
From left, Boy Scout Troop 226 members Thomas Lobstein, Matthew Del Toro and Aaron Clawson, along with Cheryle Csakan, were presented with a certificate of appreciation from Curry County Manager Lance Pyle, right, for the troop's service as a part of the new flag retirement program.
CLOVIS - Now might be a good time to replace any old or damaged American flags, thanks to a new program coming to Clovis.
Curry County has partnered with the National Association of Counties, the National Flag Foundation and the National Sheriff's Association to bring a flag retirement program to the area.
On Wednesday afternoon a box was placed in the lobby of the Curry County administration building where local residents can drop off their torn, tattered and damaged flags in order to be disposed of properly.
"Curry County is proud that we are able to provide the residents an avenue to respectfully and properly retire and dispose of their flags," Curry County Manager Lance Pyle said in a press release announcing the program.
Pyle said he received a report from The National Association of Counties detailing the flag retirement program and decided it would be a good service to bring to Curry County.
The county then reached out to The Boy Scouts and Adult Scouts of the El Llano Grande District of Conquistador Council to perform the retirement ceremonies.
Cheryle Csakan of the El Llano Grande District Committee said the Boy Scouts from Troop 226 will follow all of the traditional flag retiring methods.
"The traditional proper way to destroy a flag or to retire a flag is to burn it," Csakan said.
Csakan said after a flag retirement ceremony is performed the grommets from the flag are collected from the ashes and kept in order to show the flags were respected and disposed of properly.
Members of Troop 226 Matthew Del Toro, Thomas Lobstein and Aaron Clawson were on hand for the placement of the flag box in the lobby on Wednesday and were presented with a certificate of appreciation from Pyle on behalf of the county for the service they will provide.
Del Toro and Lobstein kicked off the program by folding up one of the county's old flags and placing it in the box.
Pyle said there is no timeline for the program but he hopes to keep it going for the foreseeable future.
"My goal is to keep it a long-term program for the community," Pyle said.
