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Flags available for local businesses

The Manchester Rotary Club is looking to once again offer a community service to local businesses of placing an American Flag at the business on all major holidays.

For interested businesses, Rotary will install a mounting bracket at the business and an American flag will be placed there by a Rotary Volunteer in in the early morning of the holiday. Holidays include President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Patriot Day and Veterans Day. The flag is then removed by a volunteer at the close of the day.

“This service was provided for many years with great participation, but over the years the emphasis shifted to Rotary placing flags at the downtown square and also at the main intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 55 during these holidays,” Rotary member Scot St. John said.

St. John said the program made a comeback after a period thanks to the hard work of former Manchester resident Vernon Sherrill.

“He worked hard to bring it back to life for Rotary and began putting out the flags at the intersection of Highway 41 and Highway 55, kind of the downtown area there around the square, and so I began working with him about holidays and getting those put up,” he said.

In reinstating the flag program, the Manchester Rotary Club would like to increase its ability to contribute to civic programs and events.

“We have been trying to build back the program they had for many years working with the businesses and selling sponsorships,” St. John said. “We have had a good response from businesses, but we are definitely trying to continue to grow the program and get flags out on the holidays and show patriotism in the city.”

The program provides much needed funding for the many civic services the Manchester Rotary Club provides within Manchester and Coffee County and worldwide through Rotary International. A few of the committee events that the Manchester Rotary Club supports and contributes to annually are annual scholarships to Coffee County High School students, distribution of dictionaries to all third grade students within the city and Coffee County schools, sponsorship and support of the interact club at Coffee County High School, participation in community service events such as One Day of Hope and Student Expo, and contributions to civic projects such as the Manchester Dog Park, Rotary Amphitheater and local food pantries.

The suggested annual contribution is $100 a year, although any contribution amount will be gladly accepted. For more information or to purchase an annual flag subscription, contact Scot St. John at 931-247-5148 or Bonnie Gamble at 931-209-0440.