On Flag Day, June 14, members from the Lake Oconee Elks Lodge No. 2849 got together at the Harmony Road intersection and passed out flags to passing motorists.

Lodge members do this every year in order to raise awareness of Flag Day.  Some of the folks receiving flags made donations that will mainly be spent on kids and veterans in the Lake Country area. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was the first and only fraternal body to require formal observance of Flag Day.

Patriotism has characterized the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America since the early days of the organization. Allegiance to the flag of our country is a requirement of every member. In 1907, the Grand Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks designated, by resolution, June 14 as Flag Day. The Grand Lodge of the Order adopted mandatory observance of the occasion by every Lodge in 1911, and that requirement continues. The Elks prompted President Woodrow Wilson to recognize the Order’s observance of Flag Day for its patriotic expression. But it was not until 1949 when Pres. Harry Truman, himself a member of the Elks, made the proclamation that thereafter June 14 would be a day of national observance for the symbol of our country. It was through his Elks Lodge in Independence, Missouri, that President Truman got the idea for a national observance of Flag Day.