Boy Scout Troop 255, based out of South Knoxville, was chosen by Food City administrators to do the honors of raising the American flag Wednesday morning to signify the store’s grand opening on Chapman Highway in the new shopping center near Lowes.

John Johnson, a Troop 255 committee member, said 14 of the troops 24 members—made up of youths ranging in age from 10-through-18—took part in the flag-raising.

Johnson said making the occasion that much more important for the troop was the fact that longtime Scoutmaster Sam Lawhorn was not able to attend the ceremony because he was undergoing triple-bypass surgery at a local hospital.

“(The scouts) were honored to be asked to do this to begin with,” said Johnson, who has a grandchild in Troop 255. “It was something that Sam Lawhorn was very proud of. I could tell the troop had a little higher step about them because, not only were they raising the American flag, but they were also thinking about their scoutmaster.”

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