Providing a Fitting Finish for Old Glory

Twenty years ago, Evelyn Dart wrapped a frayed flag in tissue paper and tucked it away in a dresser drawer. Though the banner had been used for decades and was in tatters, Dart, a former Girl Scout leader, could not bear to part with it.

“The flag went everywhere with the troop,” Dart said--to weekly meetings, school functions and camping trips.

Finally, the 72-year-old Huntington Beach resident turned over the worn banner at the Huntington Beach Historical Society’s fifth annual Flag Retirement Ceremony at the Newland House Museum.

“For years, I had thought of doing it, but I dreaded giving it up,” Dart said. “There were so many memories woven in the flag. But I was so afraid of something happening to me and it getting thrown in the trash.”

Karen Topolewski, Newland House Museum trustee and Historical Society member, said about 70 flags were brought in Sunday to be retired with respect. Girl Scouts from Cadette Troop 1962 led the ceremony’s patriotic songs and readings.

Topolewski said the flags were all in poor shape, with holes, ragged edges and embroidery work falling apart. The museum will continue to accept flags through July, she said. The banners will then be turned over to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars for burning.

The flag retirement has grown year by year, Topolewski said, with more than 50 people at Sunday’s ceremony. Properly disposing of flags seems to be a forgotten tradition, she said.

“It’s something that used to be done,” said Topolewski, who recalls that worn flags were retired at community functions when she was a child. “It brings you back to your patriotic roots.”

The weekend after the Fourth of July seemed logical for Huntington Beach’s ceremony, Topolewski said, because many people fly Old Glory outside their homes for the holiday and notice when they bring their flags out of storage that they are no longer in good condition.

Pat Ige, 73, was among those who decided that this Fourth of July was the last for her 15-year-old flag.

“It was really shabby at the bottom and was getting soiled,” the Huntington Beach resident said. “If you’re going to put up a flag, you should put up one that looks nice.”

The Newland House Museum is featuring an Americana exhibit and a display of flags through July 28. Hours are 2 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Information: (714) 962-5777.

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Flag Etiquette

* Flag should be displayed only from sunrise to sunset; if flown for 24 hours, it should be illuminated during darkness.

* Do not display flag in inclement weather, except when an all-weather flag is used.

* Flag should never touch ground, floor, water or anything beneath it.

* Do not fasten, store, use or display flag in a manner that would allow it to be easily torn, soiled or damaged.

* Never use flag as a ceiling covering.

* Do not use to receive, hold, carry or deliver anything.

* Worn, tattered flags or those not fit for display, should be destroyed in a dignified manner, preferably by burning.

Source: Huntington Beach Historical Society