Springfield Mayor Ken McClure will host a ceremony at 2 p.m., Tuesday, March 1 to honor the historic city flag and raise the new city flag at Park Central Square.
An honor guard with representatives from Springfield Police Department and Springfield Fire Department will lower the historic flag and present it to Katie Turer, community outreach and visitor experience manager at the History Museum on the Square. The Central High School Kilties drum and bugle corps has been invited to perform.
At 1:55 p.m., all other historic flags located at municipal facilities will be lowered, followed by the raising of the new city flags at 2 p.m. The historic flag in front of Historic City Hall will be permanently displayed in Historic City Hall. The flag flying in front of the Busch Municipal Building will be presented to Central High School for display. Historic flags will be offered to members of the Springfield City Council, and any remaining historic flags will be offered to citizens on a first-come, first-served basis.
A celebration event for the raising of the new flag hosted by Hotel Vandivort will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Vantage (260 East McDaniel Street). The event will feature complimentary food, soft drinks and live music by Shaun Munday.
In honor of the adoption of the new flag, a fund has been set up through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to support nonprofits aligned with the new flag’s themes of “innovative spirit, connection with nature and Ozarks culture.” Donations are not required in order to gain admission to the celebration, but they are highly encouraged.
Selected nonprofits involved in the event are the Geek Foundation, Watershed Center of the Ozarks, Springfield Regional Arts Council, History Museum on the Square, Ozark Greenways, Foundation for Springfield Public Schools and the Community Partnership of the Ozarks Homeless Services Division.
