Photo Credit: Maia Kennedy Photography www.maiakphotography.com
2026 Event
Wednesday, November 11, 2026 at 8:00 AM
7:45 AM muster at:
Prichard’s Gate
34 Bedford Street
Concord, MA 01742
Flag Collection
Worn and faded flags can be dropped at one of the following locations: The Town House, Harvey Wheeler Community Center, either of the Concord Fire stations or either of the two Post Offices. Concord Scouts will prepare the flags for retirement. The deadline for dropping your flags is November 1, 2026.
History
The Flag Retirement Ceremony is traditionally held each year on Veterans Day and enables Concordians the opportunity to retire their American Flags in a respectful and appropriate manner.
This local ceremony was established in 1965:
- James Carroll
- Clark McClevin
- Francis McDonald
- Bernard Rushe
- Thomas Tombeno
These individuals felt that the many cemetery flags, which were torn and faded from being left in place through the fall and winter months, honored neither our nation’s colors nor our departed veterans. It was decided that each year, on Veteran’s Day, the worn flags would be collected by the Public Ceremonies and Celebrations Committee and retired in an appropriate manner