Banners can be purchased for veterans
Anyone driving over Three Rivers Bridge in the last few months may have noticed the military banners that are on display. According to Angie Williamson, the first banners were hung by the Coshocton Street Department in May. As new banners are purchased, she coordinates with the street department to have them hung up.
Robert Moore is the chairperson of the project. He said he was working at the Blue Star Mothers booth at the fair a few years before COVID when a man stopped and asked why Coshocton doesn’t have a display of veterans pictures. “I started researching about getting banners and reached out to the Veterans Service Office, but there was already a project in the works. Then, COVID hit, and I forgot about the banners.”
“Lynn Leech asked about getting it started again. I did more research, and she did lots of leg work to get the banners. Mayor Mills reached out to other communities and soon, Conesville, Nellie, Warsaw and West Lafayette will have banners on display, too.”
Moore said Coshocton needs more brackets for the banners and some of the other communities don’t have any. The banner project is being run through the Blue Star Mothers of Coshocton because of their 401c status. A local foundation awarded a grant to the Blue Star Mothers to purchase the needed brackets for the banners.
“I am hoping that we’ll have enough banners purchased that we can fill the villages and Main and Second Street in Coshocton. When people fill out the application, they can specify which area they would like their banner hung, but if a village is full, it may have to be hung somewhere else.”
Moore said the banners are vinyl and will be hung up for Memorial Day, July 4th and Veteran’s Day every year. “If the city doesn’t have other banners that need to be hung, the military banners will stay up longer. They will be taken down for the winter. The cold weather will be hard on them, and we want them to last.” He said that when the banners are taken down, Williamson will check them for wear and tear and if one needs replaced, he will contact the family to let them know.
Claxon Communications is making the banners for the project. “Eight by 10 pictures are the best, but Judd Bone is very good at touching up pictures if needed. We have discovered that cell phone pictures of pictures are not always of very good quality so if at all possible, please scan your pictures and email them to us.” He said if someone doesn’t have access to a scanner, a picture can be sent to him and he will scan it and return the original. “Just be sure to write on the back who it is and where it needs to be returned to.”
Applications for the banners can be picked up at the veterans’ services office or you can email veteranbannerprogram@yahoo.com and an application will be emailed to you. You do not need to print it as it can be filled out and returned via email. The cost of the banners is $45 and can be paid by checks sent to the address on the application. “If you don’t have checks, call me and I’ll meet you somewhere to get cash. We don’t want anyone who doesn’t have a scanner or checks to be left out. I’ll work with you to get your banner made.”
Moore said extra banners and double and single sided yard signs can also be ordered.
Sharon Burns, president of Blue Star Mothers, said they are very excited to be helping with this project. “This has been a great project and people are really supporting it. Any military person – active or veteran – can have a banner. It’s mostly veterans now, but there are a few active ones, too. It’s a great honor and we are so proud to be part of it.”
For more information about the banners, you can call Sharon Burns at 740-502-0169 or Robert Moore at 740-294-7413.
Category: People & Places
