Mayor Steve Allender held a signing ceremony in Council Chambers Wednesday, declaring Friday, May 25 as National Poppy Day in Rapid City. Susan Frantzick, American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Chairman for South Dakota, and her husband Leon participated in the ceremony.
Each year, the American Legion Auxiliary raises more than $5.5 million through the distribution of the symbolic red poppies to support active-duty military, veterans and their families. The poppies are generally distributed around Memorial Day and Veterans Day. For more information, contact the local Auxiliary unit at 431-4513.
Here is Mayor Allender's proclamation:
Executive Proclamation
Rapid City, South Dakota
Office of the Mayor
WHEREAS, The City of Rapid City wishes to express support for the designation of May 25, 2018 as National Poppy Day by recognizing the importance of honoring those who have worn our nation’s uniform; and
WHEREAS, Poppies are worn and displayed as a symbolic tribute to our fallen and the future of living veterans and service members; and
WHEREAS, At the end of World War I, The American Legion adopted the poppy as a symbol of freedom and the blood sacrificed by troops in wartimes. The symbolic use of the poppy comes from the poem In Flanders Fields, which movingly begins, “In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row,” referring to the poppies that sprang up in the churned-up earth of newly dug soldiers’ graves over parts of Belgium and France; and
WHEREAS, As The American Legion approaches its 100th anniversary, it is appropriate they expand the meaning and symbolism of the poppy, mirroring the manner in which the poppy is symbolically showcased in England and Canada in celebratory fashion on their Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day and Poppy Day ; and
WHEREAS, Wearing a poppy will unite citizens from across the country who decide to show their patriotism in this manner.
NOW, therefore, I, Steve Allender, Mayor of Rapid City, do hereby proclaim May 25, 2018 as
National Poppy Day
In Rapid City and encourage all citizens, residents, and visitors to join in observing this day to honor every service member who has died in the name of liberty, freedom, and democracy, while also showing their support for living veterans, service members, and their families.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I do hereby
affix my official signature and the
Official Seal of the City of Rapid City, South Dakota, on this 23rd day of May, 2018.
__________________________
Steve Allender, Mayor
Rapid City, South Dakota