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CANTON — The Hometown Heroes committee met at the American Legion to discuss progress on the banners hung throughout Canton.
To date, they have around 53 new banners to be hung and 76 waiting for processing by Bright Banners/Keystone Advertising, a company out of Lycoming County who make the banners.
A lot of the hold up in putting up the new banners was due to COVID restrictions and the printer.
Hometown Heroes for Canton was established in 2013 and the banners residents have seen are still from that time.
The committee has decided it is time for a change and has started hanging new banners.
“A lot of people don’t realize how much time it takes to hang the banners,” said president Bernie Baker. “They don’t just go up easily.”
The committee also has to purchase insurance when doing this and insurance on the poles, which can be quite costly.
The new banners also have a different design from the previous ones.
The top of the new banners say “Hometown Hero” with the seal of their military branch. Below that, a big photo showcasing the hero, with their name below, and the war they fought and military branch below that.
“Eventually, we’d like to put up more of the details in again,” said Gary Avery, who took on a lot of the project. “I’d like to include things like whether the person received a Purple Heart, for example, or that they graduated from Canton High School.”
Banners of veterans are not limited to Canton High School graduates either; banners can be hung for any Canton resident - past or present.
The group also discussed new ideas for fundraisers to help the community pay for banners. Previously, they have done a chicken barbecue but will be open to new ideas.
Hometown Heroes of Canton now has a new Facebook page to keep the community updated on the progress of the new banners and to contact members on how they can purchase a banner in the future.
For more information, go www.facebook.com/HometownHeroesCanton on Facebook and leave a message or email [email protected].
The Hometown Heroes committee meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the American Legion. You don’t have to be a member of the Legion to come to meetings and join. The public is welcome.