First generation ‘Hometown Heroes’ banners end cycles, orders being taken for 2022 cycles

One of the most popular programs ever instituted in Albany and Clinton County is coming to the end of its original cycle.

The “Hometown Heroes” utility pole banners that feature portraits and service information about local veterans, has seen nearly 170 “Heroes” honored for their military service for the past few years.

A program that was sponsored by the Clinton County Tourism Commission, the banners have been placed on Albany utility poles on a rotating basis since the program began a few years ago with the first group of military “Heroes” banners.

The first round of banners have now been rotated for the last time of the scheduled lifespan and are being offered to the person who originally paid the fee to have the banners made and placed on the utility poles.

Although many of the banners appear to still be in reasonably good condition, it was pre-determined when the program first began that a maximum of three years would be the lifespan of each banner.

“When we first came up with this program, we determined that a three year span for installing the banners on the pole, removing them, storing them during the off-season for the banners, then repeating the process all over again, would likely be the span that the banners would continue to appear in good condition,” Al Gibson, co-chair of the Tourism Commission explained this week. “The last thing we want to ever happen is for these banners to be in place and begin looking worn or battered, as we are honoring our military heroes.”

Although a large number of the banners have now been taken out of the rotation and are being given to the purchaser, the program is going to continue with a series of new banners being made, with the intention of starting all over again with a January 2022 placement.

Sherry Poore, Executive Director for the Tourism Commission, noted that by beginning a new series that doesn’t start until January 2022, the remaining cycles for current banners can be completed, and the program will start again with a complete set of new banners to honor our hometown heroes.

She also noted that all banners for the next cycle, that begins a year from now, will have to be new banners, with purchasers not being allowed to bring their old banners back in to the Tourism office to be put back in rotation.

Poore explained that the Tourism Commission confirmed that decision at its most recent meeting on November 17.

Banner purchases for the upcoming three year cycle will be at a cost of $200 each, and will be scheduled for three season runs, each year beginning in January and remaining in place until Foothills Festival banners are put in place.

The $200 per banner fee pays for the actual manufacturing of the banner, as well as additional costs, including equipment rentals and the purchasing and occasional replacement of the brackets needed to hold the banners in place.

The three year schedule will include 2022, 2023 and 2024.

As is the case with the current banners that are beginning to reach the end of their three year cycle, when the program ends again, after the 2024 cycle, the banner will be given to the person who made the original purchase.

Poore also explained that there are a limited number of utility poles on which the banners can be installed, and while the Commission doesn’t expect to completely sell enough banners to fill all of the available poles, they are being offered on a first come, first served basis until the maximum number of banners has been reached.

As for the banners that have been retired from the program, a list of those can be seen on the Tourism Commission’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/clintoncountykytourism/

For additional details about the Hometown Heroes banner program, or to obtain an application, call Sherry Poore at the Tourism Commission office: 606-387-2051.