Blue Ridge Chapter Shares Stories of Historic Flags with Elks Lodge 1616

Ron Hillabrand
Posted in: News

First North Carolina Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Chartered 21 April 1928 in Asheville, North Carolina, and later became the Blue Ridge Chapter.

The Blue Ridge Chapter NCSSAR Color Guard is a very recognizable group in Western North Carolina. With a variety of colorful and historic uniforms, this group of Compatriots displays their eight historic flags regularly at everything from professional baseball games to local Boys & Girls Club events.

With more and more public-school curriculums moving away from the teaching of American history, however, many people wonder what these colorful banners represent. The Blue Ridge Chapter has created a presentation to present to school groups and civic organizations explaining the significance of each flag. The program, named Flags of the Color Guard, is a 15–20-minute session that covers the history of each banner and its purpose for being in the Blue Ridge Color Guard collection.

This year’s Flag Day observance at Elks Lodge 1616 in Hendersonville, North Carolina, gave the Color Guard yet another opportunity to honor each flag and share its rich history. Just two weeks earlier, the Color Guard was privileged to present the Colors for the Nation Anthem at the Class “A” Asheville Tourists baseball game in front of 3,000 fans.

The flags in the Blue Ridge presentation are Old Glory, North Carolina State Flag, SAR Flag, Betsy Ross Flag, Bedford Flag, Continental Flag, Cowpens Flag, and Guilford Court House Flag.

 Banner Display by Color Guard      Narrator Compatriot Dan Jordan

It is easy to see that the Blue Ridge Chapter is an active, energetic, busy chapter that is always looking for new members to help us reach our challenging goals for the recognition of the sacrifices our Patriots made for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.