Members of Boy Scout Troop 57 of Neffs, led by Scoutmaster Rob Drews, will conduct the first part of their two-part annual flag retirement and ashes-to-graves program 10 a.m. May 6 at the Schnecksville Fire Company pavilion.

The Scouts will present the program with the help of the VFW Post 12099, Allentown, and the historic Allentown Flag Day Association.

Don Snyder, an Eagle Scout and former state representative in the 134th Legislative District and former president of Lehigh Carbon Community College will be the keynote speaker.

Scouts with Troop 57 will perform and explain the 13 folds of the flag.

Flag retirement will follow in their incinerator, which was an Eagle Scout project of former Troop member Paul Schappel.

They will then travel to the Union Church Cemetery where they will spread ashes over the graves of American veterans.

The public is invited to attend and participate in the 12:30 p.m. May 6 ceremony.

The second part of the program, the ashes-to-graves ceremony, was originated by Troop 57 and World War II and Korean War veteran Joseph Zeller in 2008.

This concept of returning ashes of retired flags to veteran memorials, and the graves of veterans was never done before.

Over the last few years, ashes were even spread at war memorials in Washington, D.C., Antietam National Battlefield and veterans graves in Massachusetts.