Military Flag Retreat
Background
The Military Flag Retreat honors eleven veterans/active duty service members during the Fair. The event is held daily in front of the Historic Administrative Building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. The ceremony includes the pledge of allegiance led by the 2023 Missouri State Fair Queen, the singing of the National Anthem, trumpet playing by Derrick Weller, the folding of the flag by the local National Guard branch, and script reading by emcee, Brian Sowers.
❶ Nominations
As soon as nominations started filing in, I began blacking out the nominees names and labeling them with numbers to make the selection process anonymous. There ended up being a total of 41 nominations sent in by mail and email. Last year, there were half as many nominations. I started creating Excel files to keep names, numbers, emails, and other relevant information organized.
❷ Selections
I contacted people in the Administrative Offices to select nominees to be honored at the daily Military Flag Retreat. I chose people selecting nominees based on a variety of demographics. Selectors included both men and women, as well as younger and older individuals. I made first-round and second-round selection papers to help choose the honorees more precisely.
❸ Honorees
After honorees were selected, I developed letters to send to honorees via mail. Each letter contained a congratulatory message, the date and time they would be honored, and an RSVP deadline. I also attached a biography questionnaire so I could develop a script for each honoree. The nominators of non-selected honorees got an email informing them that the person they nominated was not selected.
❹ Pre-Fair Prep
Once I received everyone’s questionnaire and photos, I started to create scripts about the honorees for the emcee to read during the ceremony each day. I also made several graphics – social media graphics, honoree posts, meal vouchers, signs displayed during the ceremony, and more. I then sent a follow-up letter to inform them of details pertaining to the event.
❺ Before Ceremony
During the Fair, I contacted the daily honoree and singers each morning to remind them of parking procedures and arrival times. If an honoree requested assistance, I would help them throughout the day and drive them on the golf cart if needed. Before the ceremony, I would make sure I had the correct script and contact information in my binder, as well as set up before guests arrived.
❻ Following Ceremony
During the ceremony, I was in charge of sound control. I confirmed that the microphone was working correctly and made sure to play the correct armed forces song. After the flag retreat, I would thank the honoree for their service and talk to their family before cleaning up. I then headed to the parking lot to put up the reserved parking sign for the next honoree.
Documents & Graphics
Selection Form
First-round and second-round forms handed out to people who were part of the Military Flag Retreat Committee.
Selected Honoree Letter
Letters sent out to the eleven active-duty/veterans who were selected to be honorees at the 2023 Military Flag Retreat Ceremony.
Non-Selected Honoree Letter
Letters sent out to the nominators’ who nominee was not selected to be honored at the 2023 Military Flag Retreat Ceremony.
Honoree Questionnaire
A questionnaire sent to all honorees to learn more about their background in the military and personal life.
Honoree Biography Script
Scripts that were written for each honorees from nomination forms and questionnaires that were sent out previously.
Emcee Script
A pre-templated daily script that acted as a guide for the emcee to read and follow as he conducted the ceremony each day.
Follow-Up Letter
A letter sent to honorees explaining details on where to park and times to show up by. The letter also contained entry tickets and a meal voucher.
Daily Schedule
Daily schedules that acted as a guide on what to do the morning, afternoon, and following the flag retreat ceremony.
Graphics
Social media graphics, meal vouchers, parking signs, and honoree sign, and a sponsor sign used during the Fair.