The Lake County Veterans Memorial Avenue of Flags Association will be flying the colors on November 11 at cemeteries around the county, weather Permitting.
Over 40 years ago the Lake County Veterans Memorial Avenue of Flags Association was formed, to preserve and honor the memory of veterans by flying on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
The George Mitchel Building was dedicated May 5, 1973. The first official ’fly’ was May 30, 1973 at the Lower Lake Cemetery. By May 1976 the Avenue of Flags welcomed Upper lake and Hartley Cemeteries into the ceremony. At that time the group had 650 flags to fly in the three cemeteries. Today they care for approximately 1,500 Flags and Fly 1,256 flags in flag Avenues.
In 2010 Kelseyville Cemetery joined the Avenue of Flags.
The George Mitchell Building not only houses the flags, but it also houses memorabilia donated from the veteran’s families to be displayed for all to see.
The Avenue of Flags Association is an all-volunteer organization. They need donations from communities around the Lake and from individuals like you the general public to help to continue to keep the flags and the building in top shape, also to keep the insurance which costs the Avenue $1,500 per year.
The sight of the flags flying in the cemeteries is awe inspiring and breath-taking.
The board of Directors wish to thank all of the volunteers, businesses, and individuals for their continuing support thru out the years. They couldn’t have done it without you. To the first responders, the board sends a thank you for saving the George Mitchel Building during the Clayton Fire. Without their quick action the group could have lost everything in the building
This year the group needs approximately 75 volunteers to help raise and retire the flags in the cemeteries. Without such help they couldn’t display the sheer number of flags.
Lower Lake Cemetery needs at least five volunteers at 5 a.m. to help set up. The group needs all the volunteers that have shown up in the past to show up at 6:30 a.m. to raise the flags and return at 3:45 p.m. to retire them.
Hartley, Upper Lake, Kelseyville Cemeteries need volunteers at 6:30 a.m. to raise the flags and retire them at 3:45 p.m.
Please come out and see or help anyone can volunteer or make a donation to help keep the Veterans Flags flying high into the future, so the future generations can be proud.
For more information please call Dave at 295-1481 for Lower Lake and Kelseyville Cemeteries, for Hartley Cemetery call Dean 350-1155, for Upper Lake Cemetery call Byron at 533-6154. Thank You again Lake County and beyond for your continued support we can’t do without you all.
