GENTRY — A flag-raising ceremony was held Friday at Gentry's new police station on Third Street in Gentry. U.S. Navy Veterans Robert Meyer, Burl Lyons and Rick Lane raised the Stars and Stripes and the state flag of Arkansas in front of the police station.
Meyer served in the Navy from 1947 to 1952, and Lyons served from 1952 to 1974. In addition to being a Navy Veteran, Rick Lane is a police officer for the city of Gentry and serves as the school resource officer.
An open house at the police station is planned on Thursday, June 23. The city purchased the building which used to be home to a Centennial Bank branch in Gentry and, after slight modifications to the building, the police department moved in. The building provided the department a much-needed secure working space, with room for case files and evidence storage.
"We originally intended to couple the flag raising and the open house all at the same time," said Kevin Johnston, Gentry's mayor. "Unfortunately the timing has not worked in our favor and we wanted the flags to be up for this weekend," he said. "We have scheduled the open house for June 23rd from 2 to 5 p.m., with a separate gathering for business owners from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
"As far as today's ceremony, we wanted to do it right and ask a few veterans to do the honors for us," Johnston said on Friday. "If it were not for them and their fellow service men and women, we would not be able to enjoy the peace and freedom we often take for granted."
Johnston, along with volunteers Brandon Earley and his daughter Isabella, worked at the Gentry cemetery to get the graves of local veterans marked with flags. They placed nearly 200 U.S. flags. Gentry Parks and Recreation employee, Jonathan Lemke, also mounted U.S. flags to the newly-constructed columns along Pioneer Lane at the cemetery which were donated and built by RK Masonry.
General News on 06/01/2016