Flag Day Ceremony

The DeKalb Veterans Memorial and the DeKalb Elks Lodge 765 will be hosting a special Flag Day ceremony on Friday, June 14th, 2024. This special event will start at 6:00 PM.

The evening will start with the singing of the National Anthem by noted DeKalb entertainer Christine Wild Monteiro. Musical selections by members of the DeKalb Celebration Chorale. Part of the ceremony will be the importance of Flag Day presentation by DeKalb Elks ER James Brantley.

In addition to the speeches, there will be a special re-dedication of the World War I memorial. A new bench will be premiered honoring the United States Marine Corps sponsored by the Robert Unger Family.

The keynote speaker will be US Air Force SMSgt. Jari Villanueva (Retired). Mr. Villanueva was appointed in August of 2023, to be the Executive Director of The Doughboy Foundation, which supports programs, projects, and activities that educate the public about America’s participation in World War I.  Mr. Villanueve and The Doughboy Foundation are based in Washington, DC.

This will be the official celebration for Flag Day for the greater DeKalb area, welcoming members of the community and city officials. Part of the evening event will include acknowledgment of the DeKalb American Legion “Be The One” campaign and information about local veteran support from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). In attendance will be the DeKalb Scout Troop 33. The DeKalb Elks Lodge will host a social welcome to all in attendance after the ceremony. The Elks Lodge is located at 209 S Annie Glidden Road in DeKalb, Illinois.