'Honoring our veterans is a lot more than just one day in November': Banners go up downtown

Since an initial batch of banners honoring Bucyrus veterans was hung along Sandusky Avenue earlier this month, members of the Bucyrus Bicentennial Commission have been swamped with requests for more.

"It was actually one of the items that we really wanted to do in honor of our veterans for the bicentennial," Rhonda Rowland said of the city's 2021 celebration. "We had a couple projects that we knew would go into 2022, and this was one of them."

Unlike many of the group's projects, the banners are not a money-maker. The project will turn a small profit that will benefit the Norton Bicentennial Park project, but the real goal was to honor residents who have served their nation, Rowland said.

"Let their family members drive downtown, look up and have that warm feeling," she said. "It's really to give back to the community."

Space available for 118 banners

So far, 79 banners have been hung along Sandusky Avenue, said Kelli Patterson, the city's administrative assistant, who heads the bicentennial commission. They currently have spaces for 118, which they hope to hang before the end of the year.

Eight banners were hung in time for Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The goal was to get the entire initial set up by then, but the weather didn't cooperate. The rest were hung the following weekend.

"Honoring our veterans is a lot more than just one day in November," Rowland said.

Banners honoring the county's two Congressional Medal of Honor winners, Cyrus Sears and Harry L. Martin, will be hung near the Liberty Remembers mural, Patterson said. They're also considering an extra-large banner honoring the pair.

John Ernsberger, who hung the banners, is a veteran himself.

"It's embedded in my blood; I'm a third-generation veteran, myself and my brother," he said. "My dad and both my grandfathers were in the service. Patriotism is just embedded in our blood. ... It's just who I am and how I was raised."

His banner hangs alongside one honoring his wife. In all, seven members of his family are represented by banners.

"We call it our Ernsberger block," Patterson said, chuckling.

The poles that hold the banners are designed to fit on the lighting fixtures in the downtown streetscape area. So after the available spaces are filled, Ernsberger will look for ways to adapt the banner hardware so they can be used on Mansfield Street and side streets, Patterson explained.

The banners will remain hanging well into the new year, she said. After they're taken down, purchasers will be able to claim their banners.

How to order a banner honoring a Bucyrus-area veteran

There's been a lot more interest since the first set of banners went up, Rowland said.

"Our phones have been ringing and people are wanting us to hold a spot for them, so they can be part of that 119," she said. "Our goal is to not turn anybody away."

Bucyrus veterans banner application by Gere Goble on Scribd

Banners are $100. People can contact Patterson at the mayor's office, 419-562-6767, ext. 221, or Rowland at 419-561-0993 to request a form for ordering a banner. Forms also can be picked up at city hall. Checks can be dropped off at A-1 Printing or submitted by mail to Norton Bicentennial Inc., P.O. Box 109, Bucyrus, OH 44820.

"We welcome them all," Rowland said.

The banners were made by A-1 Printing.

"They have been a phenomenal partner in this venture," Rowland said.

Feedback about the banners has been overwhelmingly positive, they said. One woman wrote to tell them how pleased she was to see a banner honoring her father had been hung by chance outside the Walther Building. Her mother was related to the Walther family, so it felt as though the placement paid tribute to both parents.

"It really has made an impact," Patterson said. "We've had a lot of people commenting and complimenting us."

They thanked the community for its support of the project.

Pause to look at banners, think about veterans

"Just stop and take a moment to pause, look at those banners and think about veterans," Rowland said.

"I cannot thank veterans enough for their service, for their absolute dedication to our great country, and for all that they've done," Patterson said. She hopes the banners help convey that message.

"For me to drive up through there, I just get overwhelmed ... I feel like I'm in all this greatness. They are: They're great. They're amazing," she said. "Our veterans are wonderful."

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Banners honoring local veterans line Sandusky Avenue in downtown