Medina planning for 40 more Hometown Hero banners next year, including a yearbook

Photo by Tom Rivers: This banner displayed in May 2020 by City Hall features Dell Stork, who served with the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict. He later served as Medina’s fire chief.

MEDINA – A new group of Hometown Hero banners will go up in Medina next year. Mary Woodruff, coordinator of the effort, is planning for 40 new banners.

Those ones will replace the 38 in the first group of banners that went up in 2019 as well as two others. The ones being cycled out after three years will be given to the original sponsors.

After 38 were displayed in the first group in 2019, 69 were added in 2020 and then 132 this year for 231 total. Most of the banners are on a three-year cycle, and they are in different spots each of the three years.

The banners go up in May before Memorial Day and come down in November just after Veterans’ Day.

The 38 original banners will be given back to the sponsors on Nov. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Village Office. Those unable to stop by to pick up the banner can have it mailed to them at cost.

Applications for new banners in 2022 will be available by Aug. 31 through heroesofmedina.com. That website includes options for people to donate to the Hometown Heroes, with funds going to some of the costs beyond the expense of the banners and to help pay some of the cost of a banner and hardware for families and friends who don’t have the full amount.

Woodruff also is working on a printed yearbook of Medina Hometown Heroes.