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St. C. Rotarians honor veterans

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The city’s Rotary clubs are undertaking a project to honor veterans and active-duty service personnel on the first of the year.

Through Dec. 2, the St. Clairsville Rotary Club will accept information and pictures of veterans to place on banners, to be displayed downtown the first of the year. The cost is $100 per banner.

Jenkins Sporting Goods is making the banners. Families and friends will need to supply a clear picture of the honoree in uniform.

“This is the first year we’ve done it,” said Kirke Porterfield, a member of the rotary club who is spearheading the project.

“I was just thinking and seeing it at other places. … It’s really good to honor veterans whether they’re alive or deceased. … I’d seen in in other towns as I traveled and thought ‘That would be nice for St. Clairsville.”

He said he spoke with city officials, who told him the light poles were not reserved for banners in January. Porterfield said each banner would include the veteran’s name, branch of service and a photograph.

“Everybody who drives through St. Clairsville would see them and stop and take pictures of your granddad or your son,” he said.

“At the most I think we can do about 160 total. That would be four (banners) per pole. There’s about 40 light poles in town. There’s a few poles on side streets where it wouldn’t get a lot of activity so we’re hoping to keep it all on the Main Street,” he said. “The banner’s going to be white, and then the military picture will be black and white.”

He said the banners will be fairly narrow, and would not have room to include the conflicts the veteran might have been involved in.

Anyone from the St. Clairsville area and beyond is welcome to submit information and arrange a banner.

“The response has been great so far. Jenkins has been getting a lot of pictures to scan and people e-mailing them. I’ve had a lot of people call and want more details. Everbody’s receptive. Once we hit in that 160 range, if we get that far we’ll stop. Otherwise we’re done Dec. 2,” Porterfield said. “That gives Jenkins Sporting Goods about a month to do the banners. Then they’ll be up sometime around the first of the year and probably stay up for at least three months. If there’s ever an open time when the light poles are free, we’ll put them back up, and we’ll put them up again next year.”

“We’re hoping to get several years out of the banners,” he said, adding that the rotary may take more names and add more banners next year if space is available.

“Whatever it is, we’ll put up. It’s a one-time fee,” he said.

Porterfield said they have received about 40 names so far, both veterans and active duty personnel.

“We’ve had a couple parents send in pictures of their sons that are in Afghanistan right now,” he said. Activity is picking up. The word’s getting out a lot more. … The phone’s really ringing a lot.”

He said the Rotary clubs could make arrangements with people unable to pay the $100 cost.

He reminds people that the better quality picture provided, the clearer it will be on the banner.

“We’ve got some World War I vets that are being honored. Some of those pictures are 100 years old. They’ve been in the top of your dresser all this time,”Porter said.

Anyone with questions about the project may call Porterfield at 740-391-7263. Any questions regarding pictures for a banner can be directed at Jenkins at 740-695-9300.

Prints can be e-mailed to jsgprints@gmail.com. Include name and branch of military served/serving in. Checks made payable to Rotary of St. Clairsville and sent to PO Box 531, St. Clairsville, or dropped off at Jenkins.

More information can be found on the Rotary of St. Clairsville’s Facebook page.

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