In the spirit of Independence Day, local mortgage broker Dennis C Smith has teamed up with the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, Nino’s Italian Restaurant, and Troop 29 of the Boy Scouts of America to hold the 2nd annual Flag Retirement Ceremony this coming First Friday, July 6th.
Starting at 6 PM, people are invited to bring their old or damaged flags to Nino’s parking lot, located on the south west corner of Atlantic Avenue and Roosevelt Road. All collected flags will receive proper retirement. At 8 PM, they will conduct a retirement ceremony for one flag.
I asked Dennis about his connection to the event.
“I have always had a strong affinity for our flag,” he said. “I went to high school in Brussels, Belgium and being a young ex-patriot, I had a different view of our country than many of my peers back in the States. On the Christmas of my senior year in high school my mom gave me a very large (6’x4′) American flag that I hung on the wall in my bedroom. It was the last thing I saw before going to sleep and first thing I saw when I woke up. She passed away in May, six months after Christmas. The flag was the last gift my mom ever gave me.
“When I became a homeowner for the first time in 1994 I immediately put up a flag and have flown one every day since. On special days I fly the flag my mom gave me. Home ownership is part of the historic American Dream.
“Last year,” Dennis recalled, “I noticed that I had accumulated several flags that were worn and had been replaced. I knew I needed to dispose of them properly. I called around to different organizations and had a hard time finding an easy way to dispose of them. If I was having this issue then others must as well, so I thought the Boy Scouts might be of service. I called my friend Brian Russell, who is involved in BSA leadership, and said I wanted to collect flags from the community that needed retirement and asked if BSA could help. He put me in touch with a local troop, and we collected over 100 flags last year on the July First Friday.
“Last year, we wanted to include a formal flag retirement ceremony but we didn’t have enough time to plan it so, this year, we started the planning earlier and have Troop 29 of the local BSA stepping up to perform a formal ceremony to retire one flag by burning it. Retired flags are either burned, if cloth, or buried if synthetic.
“Last year,” Dennis confessed, “I did not expect the emotion so many people, especially veterans, had when handing over flags. Some had saved them for years and handed over six, seven, ten flags they had saved, waiting for a proper way to dispose of them. It let me know my emotional attachment to our flag was shared my so many in our community.
“For people who bring flags to retire, we have a 10% discount to Orchard Supply Hardware on Atlantic for a new flag. Also, we will have a drawing to give one flag to an adult and one flag to a child 12 or under.
“While we are a nation that may be divided by ideology, politics, and how problems should be solved,” Dennis opined, “we are united in our love for our country, and our belief in, and respect for, our institutions. Our flag represents that unity and togetherness.”
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Nino’s Italian Restaurant is located 3853 Atlantic Avenue.
You can reach Dennis, a resident of Bixby Knolls, through his website.
To learn about all the festivities associated with Bixby Knolls’ First Fridays, visit FirstFridaysLongBeach.com.