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Date: 10/17/2023
HADLEY — The Hadley Honor Banner Project took its fundraising efforts to the very people they hope to honor by showing local veterans what they have planned for the streets around town.
Committee Member Pam Hague offered the presentation at the Oct. 9 Building Bridges Veterans Lunch at the Hadley Senior Center.
Veterans and guests got a first, up close look at the banner model which featured Hague’s close family member Agnes Banash, a prominent community member and veteran who lived to be 100 years-old and served in the Army as a nurse during World War II.
Hague, a lifetime member of the VFW auxiliary, said while she had no direct family members who served in the military, she became involved through her boyfriend and stepfather’s connection to service.
“I just fell in love with the veterans, Hague said. “I love the soldier’s home and everything that they stand for.”
The project, which only received approval from the Select Board in August, is on its way to adorning the streets of Hadley with images of local heroes who served their country.
The current plan is to have the memorial banners, sponsored by families or supporting individuals, fly from utility poles along Middle, East and West Streets, North Hadley Village and Route 9. The banners, hung by the Fire Department, will wave from Memorial Day through Veterans Day.
The banners will fly for three years at their designated locations in town after which they are returned to the sponsor family.
“There are 75 spaces open, if not more open right now,” Hague told the lunch gathering.
Qualifications for a veteran’s banner to fly include those who entered service with Hadley as their home of record or those who have or had resided in Hadley for at least five years during their lifetime.
Members must have served in any of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Reserves and the National Guard and received an Honorable Discharge.
The cost for the banners is $150 with a garden flag replica of the publicly displayed banner available at a cost of $50.
In addition, Gold Star families [those whose immediate family members were lost during a time of immediate conflict] may request banners at no cost.
Gold Star and veterans living more than 100 years will be displayed in a prominent location near the center of town.
A deadline for the application process is currently scheduled for the end of February to allow for the creation of the memorial banners.
Meanwhile, the committee has scheduled fundraisers for the project through the first of the year.
More information can be found by contacting HadleyBannerCommittee@gmail.com