A banner commemorating Jamie Thompson’s great-uncle, Pfc. Edward Ortmann, who served during World War II in the U.S. Army, is hung by Thompson (right) and volunteer A. J. Stump, owner of Stump’s Garage Doors. Thompson said she appreciated the help of Dan Shaffer Painting who permitted them to use his scissor lift to install the banners.
Business leaders in Ford City began erecting Hometown Hero banners on utility poles Monday night.
The project is being sponsored by the Ford City Area Business and Professional Association. Banners commemorate local individuals who served in the military. Most have the person’s photo, name, and branch of service.
The Association sold 95 banners in the first wave since making a public appeal. Banners are 24″ wide and 36″ high, according to Association Treasurer Steven Cippel.
Sponsorship of banners is $140 each. This price includes the bracket, one single-sided banner, and one yard sign that will be given to the applicant. Any banner in good condition can be re-hung during the 2019 campaign (or future campaigns) for a fee of $10.
Cippel said the current wave of banners will all be posted between now and Memorial Day weekend. The cutoff for the second phase is mid-July and those banners will be hung by Labor Day. All banners will remain on poles through Veteran’s Day in November.
Installation of banners continued last night as volunteers Cippel, Association President Jamie Thompson, Lisa Bitner, Jim Minarcin, A. J. Stump, and Kathy Dunmire began on the 1500 block of Fifth Avenue and continued toward the center of town. There are enough banners to hang the entire length of Fifth Avenue to the bridge, and some near the Ford City Memorial Park on Fourth Avenue.
Thompson said there is an online locator on the Hometown Heroes website that enable visitors to search the Ford City section for the name of their loved one. The locator will display where the banner was hung.
Cippel said anyone can sponsor a Hometown Heroes banner by making application. Applications are available at S&T Bank in Ford Cit, The Pizzaria, the Ford City Borough office, Ford City Library, VFW Post 4843, and on the FCABPA FaceBook page.
Applicants must submit a completed form, digital photo, discharge form or current military ID card photocopy (front and back side) and payment made payable to FCABPA.
For those with photos that need scanned into a digital form, the FCABPA offers scanning at the Borough office on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9AM until 3PM, at the Pizzaria on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3PM until 9PM, and weekends by appointment by calling 724-763-2401.