West Pittston Police Chief Michael Turner, right, stands with West Pittston councilman and grandson of Donald Thomas Moss, Ian Stevenson, prior to the banner being installed on Luzerne Avenue in front of the house Moss formerly resided.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
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Tom Obrzut and Lynn Burbank, right, hold up the banner as Judy Stevenson, center, looks over her uncle Charles Francis Remingston’s banner.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
Charles Barone carefully installs the banner honoring Donald Moss on Luzerne Avenue.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
WEST PITTSTON – Banners honoring those that served in the Armed Forces are being installed in the borough that will hang until Veterans Day.
More than 80 banners with the names and faces of veterans from West Pittston, as well as the names of the sponsors of the banner are currently being installed along Wyoming and Exeter avenues.
The program began when West Pittston Tomorrow and West Pittston Historical Society member Tom Obrzut Jr. liked what other municipalities were doing regarding a banner program
“Tom brought the idea to the West Pittston Tomorrow committee, “ Lynn Burbank, current West Pittston Tomorrow president, said. “He said other towns on the West Side were doing a banner program and asked if we would like to do this.”
West Pittston Tomorrow enlisted the services of Jerry Zezza Jr. to work on the design and printing of the banners.
“We first had to decide to do the banner like the designs in other towns, and we decided to make them uniquely different to West Pittston,” Burbank said. “We wanted last names to stick out.”
Burbank said once the design was a good, they had the first batch of banners printed.
Each is 5 feet long by 30 inches and costs a $200 initial fee with a $25 renewal fee for each year sponsors would like to have their banner displayed. The initial fee includes the poles and brackets to hang the banners and $25 will go towards= the fire department to install the banners.
“It’s a first-come, first-serve basis and there are no guarantees on where banners will be placed,” Burbank added. “You can end up wherever.”
West Pittston Tomorrow had hopes of having the banners hung before Memorial Day, but due to circumstances out of their control, banners were installed a day after the holiday.
“We thought it would be great if banners honoring Veterans would run from Kingston right through West Pittston,” Obrzut said. “It’s something to be proud of, and we need to honor those that helped keep us free. A lot of men and women gave up their lives for the right to be free.”
Obrzut said once banners on Wyoming Avenue been installed, it would complete the chain of banners in Kingston, Forty Fort, Wyoming and Exeter.
“We will be continuing to accept applications for banners,” Obrzut said. “We will have a cut off date for this year but for now, we want to get this initial batch up. Once we decide on the cutoff date, applications will be accepted for 2021.”
Obrzut said the potential amount of utility polls is vast in the borough to hang banners.
Photo requirements are: photos should be the honoree’s an original service photo of him or her in uniform. Copies or cell phone pictures of an original are not recommended. Group photos will be not accepted.
If anyone is interested in purchasing a banner, go to the West Pittston Tomorrow Facebook page to download the application.
If you do not have access to Facebook, call Tom Obrzut at 570-814-5708.