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The ceremony will be held jointly with American Legion posts in Albany, Belgrade, Brooten, Lake Henry, and Melrose. These clubs, along with the Paynesville American Legion, take turns holding a flag disposal ceremony every six months.

The ceremony will be held this time outside of the American Legion in Paynesville and will be open to the public for the first time. The ceremony should last 15-20 minutes, although it may take all night to burn all of the flags, said post commander Larry Alstead.

Alstead encourages anyone with a flag that is tattered, faded, or torn to drop the flag off at the Legion or at the Central Minnesota Federal Credit Union. Flags dropped at the Credit Union must be there by 4 p.m on Monday, Sept. 16. Flags can also be brought right to the ceremony at the Legion.

The Legion is holding the ceremony because flags need to be disposed properly and should never be burned or destroyed by individuals. Instead they should be destroyed ceremoniously, in a dignified manner, said Alstead. Legion members will burn the unserviceable flags during the ceremony.

A flag that is frayed can be repaired, as long as it remains close to its original size. Otherwise it should be destroyed, said Alstead.

Worn flags can be dropped off at the Legion year-round and will be brought to the next disposal.