It was a beautiful evening to celebrate our nation and kick off a new tradition in Egan.
Hundreds turned out this past Friday, Flag Day, for the new Avenue of Flags Dedication Ceremony. From the very young to the very old, families, friends, neighbors, and strangers gathered to celebrate an event that no one ever anticipated might grace the streets of the small Moody County town.
Everyone came in a show of love and respect for this country we call home, and to celebrate and see in person — the 91 flags donated to the American Legion Auxiliary this past fall, after members requested help replacing the 13 worn flags they had and typically put up each year.
A list of donors and the location of their respective flag was laid out on a map for attendees. You could watch families both walk and drive to their flags, vehicles moved slowly throughout town as the nearly perfect summer evening wore on while patriotic music from the 147th National Guard Band group, FBR (Full Battle Rattle), played in the background.
A service and full dedication ceremony took place inside the Methodist Church to help cap off the evening.

“You have brought a community together for the love of country, for the love of your community, for the love and memory of others, it’s absolutely incredible to see and this is what the American Legion family is about. When you contribute, when you help one another, and when you’re part of a project that is bigger than yourself, that is what we are here to do,” said Courtney Steffen, Dept Cmdr for American Legion of SD.
Bonnie Hemmer and Maridee Toates, two very active Auxiliary members and among the organizers of the evening, stood by the door to greet visitors and hand out programs.
“We need something positive and this has just been such a positive thing,” said Hemmer, almost at a loss for words as she looked around the church and not a seat was available.
“We needed 13 flags and we got 91.”
Toates, who’s father died in the service when she was only four-years-old, said she hopes everyone feels a renewed sense of trust and pride in our country.
“That’s what we are trying to promote because things are in sad shape right now all over the world, not just the country.”
The Auxiliary, which is specifically an organization for women (the grandmothers, mothers, sisters, spouses, and direct and adopted female descendants of members of The American Legion and who have served the country), is incredibly active in Egan. At Friday night’s ceremony, there was a reminder that the community is now also home to an official Sons of the American Legion (SAL) Chapter. For more information contact Hemmer at bhemmer69@gmail.com, you can also log onto mylegion.org.