But the deadline to apply is Feb. 28.
To date, over 160 new banners will be made to go with the 350-plus created during the first two years of the Hometown Hero program. Hamilton Councilmember Tim Naab believes it’ll be closer to 200, if not more, in a month from now.
Naab, who’s on the banner committee, said there will already be more than 500 banners on poles around the city. He knew they’d achieve that goal one day, and is amazed it will happen in year three of the program.
“We knew the patriotism and the outreach people have for their loved ones, and those they wished to honor with these banners,” he said. “We were dreaming that we eventually we would have over 500.”
The Hamilton Hometown Hero program, which honors those from the city who served the country, put up 126 banners in the first year in 2023, and nearly 230 last year. With a month to go, Naab expects this year’s number to exceed 200 by the deadline as the committee has fielded calls from all over the country, including Texas, Minnesota and California.
Greater Hamilton Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Bates, who is also on the Hometown Hero committee, said the pride created for the city “is unmeasurable.”
The emotion people feel when they are a part of this program, or they see their loved one’s banners displayed, is almost palpable, he said.
“It gets people out,” Bates said. “They want to see them.”
While it may not be the reason people visit Hamilton, many out-of-town guests — whether it’s family visiting or former Hamiltonians returning home for a brief stay — “they want to see the banners.”
“It creates a vibe and an enthusiasm and a pride in downtown Hamilton and beyond, and I think that without those banners we wouldn’t have,” Bates said.
Though it’s hard to quantify, a byproduct of the banner program is an impact on business.
“It brings people past shops, past restaurants, and it really does make a difference,” Bates said. “We see increased attention and foot traffic and enthusiasm for the shops and restaurants when people come out downtown to see them.”
The program was expanded to include banners on Brookwood Avenue last year, and Naab said NW Washington Boulevard, between Main Street and Eaton Avenue, will give the city room for 200 banners.
“We’re trying to keep (the displays) in areas with 25 to 30 miles per hour traffic, and sidewalk areas on purpose,” Naab said. “That way people can admire them as they’re travelling along rather than highway speeds.”
Banners will begin to be hung around the city between April and early May.
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