Last Tuesday was Flag Day, the celebration of the “Stars and Stripes” that occurs each year on June 14, the anniversary of the flag’s official adoption by the Continental Congress in the midst of the Revolutionary War in 1777.

But part of honoring the flag is ensuring the proper disposal – with dignity and respect – of those which are heavily worn, faded or tattered.

On Saturday, the VFW, American Legion, City of Maricopa, Boy Scouts and other local youth groups held a flag-burning retirement ceremony at City Hall. About 1,300 flags were retired during the long-overdue event. (The pandemic halted the ceremony in 2020 and 2021.)

InMaricopa multimedia editor Bryan Mordt photographed the ceremony: