Flag ceremonies at Zoar Valley

Flag Ceremony at Zoar Valley Camp

Every morning, all of the units met in front of the Mess Hall for the flag ceremony.  The campers would file in by units, and form a large horseshoe. The units took turns presenting the flag ceremonies.  I've always been patriotic... and I liked participating in flag ceremonies as a camper, and I liked planning them as a counselor. I remember....

• learning how to raise and lower the flag
• learning how to fold a flag, properly
• readings... we had a book of readings, and one was chosen for each flag ceremony.  Many decades later, I remember a reading about remembering to help those "who have no hills to remember"
• songs... a patriotic song, and I remember learning the words to "Oh Canada" although I don't remember raising both flags every morning.  
• one song in particular... I remember that my unit (Pioneer) had flag ceremony duty on July 21, 1969.  The counselors on Pioneer had listened to the radio the previous night, while Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.  Moved by this incredible event, I put the Star Spangled Banner into the flag ceremony the next morning.  It did not go well... I suspect because we started too high and completely failed on the high notes.  Afterwards, the Assistant Camp Director, told me, drily, that she thought that had been "a little ambitious."

After the flag ceremony, we would file out of the horseshoe formation by units, then break silence and line up at the Mess Hall for breakfast.  It was a lovely way to start every day.