By Glenn Rolfe

As the weather warms, several area towns are saluting their heroes with displays of personalized banners.

In Seaford, the signs are thanks to the continued efforts of Carson Hastings, an eighth grader at Epworth Christian School, while in Bridgeville, Hometown Heroes banners will be going up before Memorial Day weekend, continuing a senior project of future Marine Jacob Johnson, a 2017 Woodbridge High School graduate.

And thanks to community support, the salutes — available to honor any veteran, wartime or peacetime, as well as police officers or firefighters — are coming to Harrington, Felton, Milford and Georgetown, as well.

In the Sussex County seat, Hometown Heroes has recently gotten a green light.

Georgetown Councilman Penuel Barrett announced at Thursday’s meeting that he contacted the Maj. Nathaniel Mitchell Chapter of the nonprofit National Society Daughters of the American Revolution to oversee the project.

“They are willing to head the Hometown Heroes banner program. They are handling Seaford as we speak,” he said.

The regent for the chapter, Carol Evans, noted the success of the banners in Seaford.
“Our chapter, Maj. Nathaniel Mitchell Chapter in Georgetown, we had wanted to do the Hometown Heroes banner program after seeing how Carson had successfully done it in Seaford,” she said.

Ms. Evans said the group is finalizing the applications, “so that we can get them into the Town Hall and also online, so people can start applying. As soon as we do that, then we will also start advertising and accepting donations. We are also seeking grants.

“We have gotten a lot of information from Carson, and he is helping us where he can.”

Georgetown’s initiative would come at no cost to the town or taxpayers, Councilman Barrett said. “The only thing it is going to cost us is labor to put them up,” he added.

Ms. Evans said her hope is that no one will actually have to pay for the banners. “Our chapter will try to raise the funds to pay for them,” she said.

Councilman Barrett pointed out that the signs can be ordered for not only military members and first responders but “really any Hometown Hero that has done something big for the town.”

There will be two varieties, with each costing less than $150.

While the councilman said he hopes to have the displays up by the end of May, Ms. Evans said it would more likely be June or July.

Utility poles around The Circle and adjoining streets are the target areas.

“We are very excited to get this program started,” said Ms. Evans. “Hopefully, it will work out well. I think it will. Everybody is excited about it.”

Seaford

Last year, the highly successful Hometown Heroes banner program in Seaford was facilitated by Carson Hastings, then-president of the Delaware Society of the Children of the American Revolution. He has since become its honorary president.

Through Carson’s efforts, several dozen banners were affixed on utility poles along High Street, saluting those who served in the U.S. military through Veterans Day 2021.

And the displays are scheduled to be back in Seaford this year.

“We will be hanging the additional banners that we do have brackets for from the city of Seaford coming up in May,” said Carson, who plans to discuss the project’s expansion with City Manager Charles Anderson.

Mayor David Genshaw applauded the teen for his efforts, past and present.

“That is his project. The city has come alongside him to support in putting them up. It’s his game. It was certainly a well-received project. I know he has a waiting list,” the mayor said. “We tell people all the time, a 14-year-old raised the money for that — on his own.”

For information on Seaford’s project, email carsoncrewehastings@gmail.com. 

Bridgeville

Karen Johnson, director of the Bridgeville Public Library, is continuing the Hometown Heroes initiative launched by her son, Jacob Johnson, when he was with Woodbridge High School’s Marine Corps ROTC in 2017.

“At the time, Woodbridge was still implementing senior projects. His senior project was honoring veterans. He chose to do the Hometown Hero banners,” she said. “We were able (to) have 22 produced banners. Those have been hung every year for the last five years.”

But this year, there are plans for growth.

“It was a great project and very well loved, but over the course of the last five years, as the Bridgeville Public Library director, I have been receiving the inquiries into, ‘When are you going to do it again?’ Since we didn’t have another organization to take on the project, I decided I would bring the project back this year,” Ms. Johnson said.

“We have been displaying the same 22 banners for the last five years. So that is why we felt it was time to open this up, so we could honor more veterans. At this time, I have over 10 applicants. I’m still hoping for more.”

There is a cost of $165 for each banner and bracket.

As well as opening up the program to the public, Ms. Johnson reached out to several civic organizations, giving them a chance to sponsor banners.

The signs typically are placed on poles along Market and Main streets, from just before Memorial Day until early September. Then, they come down to make way for Apple-Scrapple Festival advertisements.

In total, there are about 40 poles to work with, so the project could fill two or possibly three more streets.

Ms. Johnson added that her goal is to encompass the Woodbridge School District, which would expand the signage into Greenwood.

For details, email karen.johnson@lib.de.us.

Milford

Milford is starting its Hometown Heroes displays this year, through partnership of the city, Downtown Milford Inc. and the Main Street organization.

“It is a public/private partnership in the sense that the city used some (American Rescue Plan Act) money to refurbish and replace the banner poles and things on our light posts along the Riverwalk, Walnut Street and Washington Street,” said Sara Bluhm, Milford’s economic development/community engagement administrator.

Banners will be displayed in May, in conjunction with Memorial Day, then in September. The cost is the to-be-determined printing price plus $10 per month.

Joey Phillips, Downtown Milford Inc.’s design chair, is spearheading the initiative.

For information, email info@causeymansion.com.

Felton

Felton’s program, facilitated by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6009’s Auxiliary, includes collaboration with the Public Works Department and community and business support.

“We came up with the idea to honor the local active-duty (military members) and veterans in our area,” said Karen Forrest, auxiliary chaplain. “We reached out to local businesses in Felton, and they were all more than happy to donate and sponsor banners.”

To acknowledge the service of as many as possible, Felton’s program runs year-round, divided between two six-month sessions.

“We’d like to try to honor everybody in Felton. That is why we are doing half the year for one and half for another,” said Ms. Forrest, noting that the banners are made by Rileighs Outdoor Decor of Pennsylvania. “They are nationally known for their banners.”

The signs are $165 each and are displayed along Main Street.

Ms. Forrest said the auxiliary plans to continue “until we honor all our veterans in Felton.” Then, the program would consider expanding to include first responders, medical personnel, nurses, police and teachers.

“It’s great that it is starting to spread,” she said. “I always love going through towns and seeing the banners.”

For information, contact the auxiliary via its Facebook page.