North Fork residents and visitors now have a convenient way to properly dispose of U.S. flags that are no longer appropriate to display due to wear and tear, thanks to the efforts of Wading River Boy Scout Teddy Haarke.
Teddy, 17, a member of Boy Scout Troop 161 and an Eagle Scout candidate, built the U.S. flag depository now positioned on Sound Avenue outside the Long Island Antique Power Association in Riverhead.
He installed a U.S. flag depository box on concrete pad in a bed of blue gravel just west of the power association’s entrance. Teddy also installed solar lighting to illuminate the site at night, for visibility and safety. To complete the installation, he built a bench and painted a 1940s-era Caterpillar tractor that the power association has parked at the entrance.
Teddy said he picked the site because “there aren’t a lot of places on the North Fork to properly dispose of flags.” And this one, at the power association, is in a very visible, easily accessible location.
People immediately began placing old flags in the box as soon as the installation was completed in November, Teddy said. In the first month alone, a dozen flags were placed in the depository.
“If flags are faded or tattered, they should be retired,” Teddy said. Once retired, they should be properly disposed of, always with respect, he said. They should never be tossed in the trash or shredded.
His Scout troop conducts a solemn flag retirement ceremony that consists of unfolding the flag and laying it over a fire pit, he said.
Teddy said Boy Scouts educates youth about how to properly handle, display and retire the U.S. flag.
The new depository on Sound Avenue is Teddy’s Eagle Scout project. Eagle Scout candidates are required to complete a comprehensive service project in the community to qualify for the rank. It’s one of many requirements for Eagle Scout applicants. Teddy will be eligible after filing requires paperwork and successfully completing a board of review interview. Once he completes the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout, he will be eligible to participate in his troop’s Eagle Scout Court of Honor, which Troop 161 holds at the Wading River Congregational Church in June.
Now in 11th grade at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Teddy has been in scouting since second grade, when he became a Cub Scout.
As a young child, he began going to the L.I. Antique Power Association with his father Ted Haarke, who is a member of the association.
Teddy says he’s always been fascinated by tractors. His mother is from a farm family and he loved going to the power association where tractors of all kinds and ages can be seen actually running and working. He now collects his own antique tractors and has three so far.
His love of tractors led to a strong interest in engine repair and maintenance. His father taught him the basic mechanics of diesel machinery, he said. He’s been taking courses at Eastern Suffolk BOCES’ H.B. Ward Technical Center in Riverhead. After graduation, Teddy plans to go to trade school to learn welding and is hoping to make a career in the trade.
The Long Island Antique Power Association is located at 5951 Sound Avenue in Riverhead.
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