Hometown heroes unveiled

By Rebecca Zemencik, Managing Editor • rebecca-z@citizenstandard.com

ELIZABETHVILLE – Patriotism was evident on Market Street in Elizabethville, Monday morning as the community, friends and relatives gathered for the Hometown Heroes Banner Unveiling celebration.
The Elizabethville Area Bicentennial Committee came up with the idea as a tribute to veterans and those currently deployed who are serving the country and/or have connections to the Elizabethville area. Banners were installed on utility poles throughout the town of Elizabethville including North and South Market Street; East and North Main Street and Church Street.
Each individual banner is unique and honors a specific veteran including their picture, branch of service, era of service and hometown. The program is non-political and non-partisan. It is purely a living memorial to those who have served the country.
On Memorial Day the 102 banners were unveiled. To kick off the event, a ceremony was held in front of the Memorial Wall by the American Legion Post 404, 7 South Market Street.
The 30-minute ceremony included participation from area boy and girl scouts, the singing of the National Anthem by Upper Dauphin Area High School Senior Mackenzie Lentz, an invocation by Pastor Lewis; brief remarks from Gary Shadle, Elizabethville Borough; brief remarks by Ben Brown, Washington Twp. Supervisor; words from State Representative Mike Tobash; the playing of America the Beautiful by the Upper Dauphin Area Marching Band and the unveiling of the hometown heroes banners.
Elizabethville’s own Mike Wertz, who is a United States Navy veteran of the Vietnam Era, was the guest speaker at the ceremony.