On a very rainy Friday morning, July 2, 2010, dedicated members of the Belton community's Rotary Club gathered, despite the inclement conditions, at the Bell County Sheriff's Office to dedicate a flag pole they had had placed there during an annual event, coinciding with Belton's ongoing and nationally known Independence Day Celebration activities, that honors the United States Flag.

Trae Sutton, outgoing president of the Belton Rotary Club, opened the ceremony.

"This has been a few years in the making," said Sutton. "We got this [flagpole] here on the fourteenth of 2008 in June. We have not had, thus far, a dedication; so this represents the years 2008, 2009, and 2010."

Also speaking at the ceremony was Scot Hrbacek, who read a dialogue depicting the colorful and meaningful history of the stars and stripes as well as the actual presenting of the Rotary's newly donated flag to Sherriff Dan Smith.

The actual raising of the new flag donated to the community by the Belton Rotary Club was delayed to a later date, though the flag itself was presented to Sherriff Dan Smith at the time of the gathering.

Sutton noted that, in addition to the weather conditions (which had caused at least one retreat during the ceremony to the safety beneath a nearby awning) that there were also other reasons to delay the raising

"The flag is currently at half mast because of the passing of Governor Dolph Briscoe," said Sutton. "We didn't feel it appropriate to raise the new flag during this time."

The United States flag, displayed proudly throughout Belton, was raised temporarily on the 4th itself, and once again lowered to half-mast until after the funeral of Governor Briscoe.

The honorable Dolph Briscoe, Jr., rancher, banker, and former governor of Texas from 1972 through 1978, passed away quietly at his home in Uvalde, Texas on June 27, 2010 at the age of 87.

Rotary has worked for over 100 years to promote freedom for individuals not afforded the same luxuries available to most Americans. Rotary promotes freedom through its efforts to ensure equity in environmental and health conditions. Its activities have helped lead to the eradication of polio, the availability of clean drinking water wells, the development of world peace universities, and world hunger programs, in addition to many other ongoing efforts.

The Belton Rotary Club's dedication of a flagpole at the Bell County Sheriff's Department is intended to help promote public awareness about the United States flag and the freedoms it represents. The Rotary Emblem on the dedication plaque is meant to give residents of the county an opportunity to learn about Rotary and that for which it stands.