Palmerton Hometown Hero banners are being accepted

The Palmerton American Legion and Palmerton Veterans of Foreign Wars are still taking orders for Hometown Hero banners to be displayed on street poles throughout the borough, Bowmanstown Borough, Towamensing Township and Lower Towamensing Township.

Since announcing the banner program in December, Joe Uhnak and Steve Vlossak, Palmerton United Veterans Organization members, said the response has been positive.

“We’re almost at 100 orders so far,” Uhnak said last week. “We’re really doing well in the borough, and we want to get some of those outlying areas more involved.”

Anyone, even those who live out of the area or have not served in the Armed Forces, can order a banner to honor a veteran or someone currently in the military.

“There may be people who don’t live in the area, but they have a relative who lived here and was in the service,” Uhnak said. “We’d love to see those folks order a banner.”

The 4-foot-long banners, which will be double-sided and cost $175, include the veteran or active service member’s name, picture, branch of military and can also include war served in, years served, place stationed, and whether in infantry, pilot, mechanic, artillery, etc.

“There is no deadline for an order. Anyone can get them in at any time,” Vlossak said.

Lehighton, Jim Thorpe, Nesquehoning, Summit Hill, Lansford and Tamaqua are among the surrounding areas to have banners in the community honoring its veterans. Vlossak and Uhnak began hearing requests for Palmerton to do the same and quickly began planning for it.

As far as where the banners are placed in town or in the outlying areas, organizers will work with the applicant on that, but it is first come, first served.

The plan is still for the first banners to be hung in late spring.

According to the application form, the total text on the banner should not be more than four lines, with 12 characters per line, for best quality.

Application forms can be picked up at Bert’s Steakhouse and Restaurant, Palmerton Borough Hall, Country Harvest, Hager Furniture, the post office, Palmerton Area Heritage Center, Shea’s Hardware, Vic’s Time, Hungarian Club, Bob’s Floral Shop, Sokol Hall, and at the VFW on Forest Inn Road.

Anyone with questions can contact Uhnak at 610-826-2902 or Vlossak at 610-826-7070.