T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK The banners honoring veterans on St. Clairsville’s streets are getting an “extra twist” with the veterans’ stories available online.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The more than 50 banners honoring veterans hanging from poles in St. Clairsville soon will offer passersby a chance to learn more about each veteran’s service.

The St. Clairsville Noon Rotary Club, which is partnering with the city to display the banners, has had a large response and is expanding the project.

“We have added a new twist to the banner project,” Rotarian Kirke Porterfield said. “Veterans or a family member can do a story about their military experiences and when they came home. We have a QR code that will be on the new banners and the light poles in town. You will be able to download the code, and it will take you to the Belmont County Tourism site where you can listen to the veteran’s story.”

A QR code is a type of matrix-based bar code that can be scanned with digital devices, such as a cellphone.

He said Belmont County Western Division Court Judge Eric Costine has agreed to voice the audio recordings if the veteran or family members prefer not to do so themselves. Porterfield said the code will be released once the number of participants increases.

“I think we had six or seven people that sent their information in,” Porterfield said. “We’d really like to get a lot more in as soon as possible. The website’s up and working. Before we release the QR code, I’d like a few more people to turn their stories in. … You’d hate for people to click on there and listen to three people. I’d like several.”

Porterfield said the narratives are available online through the Belmont County Tourism office.

“It’s ready to go. You don’t even need the QR code. … You can go to the tourism’s website to look yourself,” he said. “Once we get some more stories on, then we’re going to buy the stickers and put them in storefront windows.”

Porterfield said the available space for banners has also increased, with the city allowing the club to hang more than one banner on a pole. Local business owners have also offered storefront space for banners.

“We have 56 up, and I think they’re working on 30 more right now,” he said. “I would say we can do at least another 50. … Every store owner in town has agreed to let us put the banners up in their windows.”

He said the cost is $100 per banner. They are made by Jenkins Sporting Goods.

Brooke Robinson, digital marketing manager with Belmont County Tourism, said veterans with banners can contact her at findit@visitbelmontcounty.com.

“We’ve got a few in so far. I’d say about three audio recordings,” she said. “They can either submit us a writeup of one or two paragraphs or they can send us an audio file. Either of those will be put on the website along with a picture of the banner of their veteran. The veterans may choose to record themselves or they can have a family or friend do it for them.”

For more information, visit www.visitbelmontcounty.com/honoring-our-veterans.

To order a banner, send an email with information and a picture of the veteran to Jenkins Sporting Goods at jsgprints@gmail.com.