CUMMING — Ingram Funeral Home and the Robert Forsyth Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will be holding a formal flag retirement ceremony Saturday morning.

Flags are required to be disposed of according to the U.S. flag code, which will be followed at the ceremony.

“Every American flag needs to have an honorable retirement,” said Tom Davis, president of the local chapter of the SAR. “A lot of times, people just throw them away.

“But to honor the flag itself, what we do is we will receive any unused flags. They will be retired by incineration with the help of [the] funeral home’s crematory.”

Elizabeth Mitchell, director of community relations for the funeral home, said formal ceremonies are held annually on Flag Day, which this year is June 14, but Ingram retires flags year round.

“What we normally do with a flag is we will drape it on a veteran’s body that’s going to be cremated and cremate that flag with that veteran,” she said.

Mitchell said the ceremony can be a learning experience, especially for children.

“It’s really very moving. Anyone who’s never been to [a ceremony] or has children who don’t understand the significance of the United States flag and the way it’s properly disposed of should bring their children,” Mitchell said. “It’s something very educational.”

The Chestatee River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will also attend the ceremony, which is set for 8 a.m. at the funeral home, 210 Ingram Ave. in Cumming. Flags for retirement can be dropped off time before then.