The Concord Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee cordially invites residents and guests to the annual Veteran’s Day Commemoration and Flag Retirement Ceremony to be held at 8 am on Monday., November 11, 2019 at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.

The small parade will assemble at Prichard Gate of Sleepy Hollow Cemetery on Bedford Street.  We will march to the flagpole for a flag-raising ceremony and then proceed to the place where the worn flags will be retired.  Our honored Veterans and citizens are invited to attend and are encouraged to participate in the ceremony.

The Flag Retirement Ceremony is a Concord Veteran’s Day tradition that enables Concordians the opportunity to retire their American Flags in a respectful and appropriate manner.  This local ceremony was established in 1965 by James Carroll, Francis McDonald, Bernard Rushe, Thomas Tombeno, and Clark McClevin, who felt that the many cemetery flags, which were torn and faded from being left in place through the fall and winter months, honored neither our nation’s colors nor our departed veterans.  It was decided that each year, on Veteran’s Day, the worn flags would be collected by the Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee and retired in an appropriate manner.

This year, the Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held at 8:00 AM on Monday, November 11, 2019. You may drop off your worn and faded flags at one of the following locations:  The Town House, the Concord Police Station, Harvey Wheeler Community Center, either of the Concord Fire stations or either of the two Post Offices.  Concord Scouts will prepare the flags for retirement.  The deadline for dropping off your worn or faded flags is November 8, 2019.

Please visit the Town Of Concord Website for more information.

 https://concordma.gov/1169/Veterans-Day-Flag-Retirement