They are becoming less common, but officials still believe flag retirement ceremonies are an important way to put old, worn-out flags to rest after they've served for years as a symbol of patriotism.
Troop 351 of the Boy Scouts, based in Langley, will host a flag retirement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Horse Creek Midland Valley Veterans Park on Highway 421 in Bath.
The ceremony is an annual event and is supported by the Trenton Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.
Jeanne Quattlebaum, an official with the chapter, said the event is open to the public and that the park is a perfect location for the ceremony.
"American flags that have been flown and worn out, the Boy Scouts take them; and they have a flag burning ceremony," Quattlebaum said. "It's a special event, and we encourage everyone to come out and take part."
According to the U.S. Scouts website, the traditional method of retirement is to incinerate the flag, but a flag only ceases to be a flag when it is cut into pieces. A flag should be cut up with scissors or shears in a methodical manner, according to the website.
The corners of the flag should be stretched out and someone should cut the flag in half, vertically. Then, the two halves should be placed together and cut in half, horizontally. The end result should be four pieces of flag, one being the blue star field.
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter for the Aiken Standard. and has been with the paper since June 2013.
He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.