'Expression of gratitude': Military banners to go on display Saturday
May 1—SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — The banners cover a century of hometown military service.
They depict frozen-in-time images of fathers, siblings and sons.
Some remember fallen war heroes, and others honor veterans still serving today.
And before all 133 of them are placed above Shanksville's main streets for Memorial Day, the community will have a one-day chance to see them up close at the Shanksville Community Grove, Donna Glessner said.
"This one-day-only, ground-level display of the banners, dubbed Shanksville Salutes, will permit close-up viewing and photography before the banners are installed on utility poles in Shanksville Borough and portions of Stonycreek Township later this year," said Glessner, who was part of the local project committee that launched the effort.
The group launched their effort last fall as a way to honor veterans — past and present — with colorful four-foot-long banners.
According to Shanksville Council President Mark Wilt, the response exceeded expectations.
Both current and former Shanksville-Stonycreek community residents responded — families from as far away as Florida and Texas, Wilt said.
Many who sponsored a veteran on a banner plan to attend the event Saturday.
Shanksville Salutes
More than 130 military banners set to be placed on utility poles later this month will be displayed Saturday during a one-afternoon event
What: Each banner depicts military service members past and present.
Where: Shanksville Community Grove tennis courts, 1291 Cornerstone Road
When: Saturday 1 pm to 4 pm.
"We are very excited to see all 133 banners displayed as a group, and to share this expression of gratitude to our servicemen and women with the whole community," Wilt said.
Each banner displays a service members name and image on each side, as well as their rank, military branch and era of service.
The collection includes five World War I veterans, 54 from World War II, 12 Korean War veterans and 28 from the Vietnam War. Several veterans had careers spanning multiple wars, Glessner said.
The temporary display will be offered between 1 and 4 p.m. at the Community Grove tennis courts, 1291 Cornerstone Road.
Brief remarks will be offered at 1:30 p.m., but a formal program isn't planned, said Wilt, a committee member.
Instead, the showing is intended as "a time for people to come and go as they wish, wander among the banners and pause to remember the sacrifice of so many," Wilt said.
As planned, the banners will hang above Main, Bridge and North streets as well as Lambertsville and Stutzmantown roads, organizers said.
The banners will be installed each year in time for Memorial Day and then taken down after Veterans Day, stored over the winter months, and reinstalled in time for the following Memorial Day.
