This year, Jessamine County will be offering a series of new events as part of National Flag Week. Scheduled for June 10 to 16, the events have been organized through USA Cares, an organization assisting military families in crisis.

As someone who feels we are all forever indebted to our veterans, I was very excited to learn about these new events in a Wilmore City Council meeting last month.

A Flag and Flower Challenge is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 14, at Camp Nelson National Cemetary. Located at 6980 Danville Road, this event will feature a young patriot, Preston Sharp, who has traveled the nation in order to place flowers and flags on veterans’ graves.

A traveling Kentucky Vietnam memorial will be featured at Servant Farm in Wilmore from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 15. Located at 9517 Harrodsburg Road, the memorial will arrive with a motorcycle escort and will be open to the public. The event also includes a candlelight vigil starting at 7 p.m.

This is not the only event scheduled during National Flag Week to feature a fleet of motorcycles either.

USA Cares Flags Ride will consist of a scenic trip through Kentucky’s bluegrass region with patriotic stops throughout Jessamine County allowing those who participate to pay tribute to brave veterans. This event is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 16, and will begin at Renegade Classics in Lexington, located at 1315 Winchester Road No. 321.

Old Glory and Thunder Fest will also take place Saturday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Servant Heart Farm in Wilmore, located at 9517 Harrodsburg Road. This event will serve as the ending point of the Flags Ride and will be a family-friendly patriotic festival including a concert, flag raising and honoring of American veterans.

We have all heard the quote, “Home of the free because of the brave,” and I truly believe this to be true. Any time I have the opportunity to pay tribute to our veterans who have fought before, and those who are fighting for us now, I feel honored.

I hope everyone in the community can make it out for at least one event during next week’s festivities. Our veterans deserve more gratitude than I believe we can ever truly show them, and I will always salute their bravery every chance I get.

Brittany Fuller is the community editor of The Jessamine Journal and Jessamine Life magazine. She can be reached at brittany.fuller@jessaminejournal.com.