Drive through just about any small town in the Lehigh Valley between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and you will see them. Banners on the light poles. Each one bearing the name, photograph, branch of service, and era of a local veteran. Some are young faces in crisp uniforms, barely old enough to vote when the photo was taken. Others are weathered portraits of men and women who served in wars that ended decades ago. Every single one of them is somebody's neighbor, parent, grandparent, or friend.
A Movement That Started Small
The Hometown Hero banner movement in the Lehigh Valley traces much of its energy to Emmaus, where the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce has run a banner program for years. The concept is beautifully simple: families pay a modest fee, submit a photo and service details, and a professionally printed vinyl banner goes up on a utility pole in their community. The veteran does not need to be living. They do not need to have seen combat. They just need to have served and have a connection to the town.
From Emmaus, the idea spread. Hellertown launched its Saucon Valley Hometown Hero Banner Program in partnership with the Edward H. Ackerman American Legion Post 397 in 2019, with nearly 50 banners going up by Memorial Day 2020. The program honors veterans spanning from World War I through the Global War on Terror, including Lt. Col. Olive Ellen Mills, the only woman featured on a banner in the program's early years, who served during World War II and the Korean conflict.
Every Town Has a Story
Whitehall Township launched its program in 2022 under Mayor Michael Harakal Jr., selecting 30 veterans each year by lottery, five from each of the township's six historic villages: Egypt, Cementon, Stiles, Hokendauqua, West Catasauqua, and Fullerton. Ea1 largest program in the region. Organized by the Oplinger Hower American Legion Post 899 and coordinated by Jeff Weidner, the program installed over 100 banners in its first phase in late 2024 and added 86 more in early 2025. Phase 3 applications are already being accepted. The banners hang year round and are built to last three or more years.
Lower Macungie joined in 2024 with 25 veterans honored in the first round along Hamilton Boulevard. North Catasauqua, South Whitehall, Allentown, Alburtis, Wilson Borough near Easton, Macungie Borough, and Muhlenberg Township all have their own versions. The Alburtis program even extends beyond veterans to honor active and retired first responders.
More Than Decoration
What makes these banner programs so powerful is how personal they are. Each banner represents a real person with a real story. When families drive past their father's banner on the way to the grocery store, or when a veteran sees their own face looking back at them from a pole on Main Street, the impact is profound. These are not abstract memorials. They are deeply personal recognitions woven into the daily fabric of community life.
The programs are typically organized by American Legion posts, VFW chapters, chambers of commerce, or the townships themselves. The cost ranges from $135 in Wilson Borough to $250 in Whitehall, and many programs offer financial hardship accommodations so that no veteran goes unhonored because of cost.
As the movement continues to grow, more Lehigh Valley communities are joining. The banners have become one of the most visible and beloved traditions in the region, a quiet but powerful reminder that these towns remember the people who served. Every pole. Every banner. Every name. That is how the Lehigh Valley says thank you.
