This summer, the street lights in downtown Wright City will be adorned by banners featuring the city’s veterans and military service members thanks to efforts from the Wright City Downtown Revitalization Committee.
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This summer, the street lights in downtown Wright City will be adorned by banners featuring the city’s veterans and military service members thanks to efforts from the Wright City Downtown Revitalization Committee.
“It’s a way to honor what these gentlemen and women have done for us as far as our freedom and our rights,” said Kelly Hill, of the committee. “So we want to show some respect for that.”
The banners will be hung during the third week of May before Memorial Day, and they will hang over city streets at least through the summer, although Hill said the committee had not decided when they would be replaced yet.
“We want to bring the history back to Wright City, that’s kind of what a revitalization group tries to do when you’re beautifying an area,” said Hill. “So that’s what this is going to do for us as well, it honors our residents and tells a story of the people who lived here.”
She said there is space for 42 banners in total in Wright City and, since the committee announced the program on Dec. 23, they have already filled 12 of them. The committee expects to fill all 42 slots.
To be eligible for a banner, individuals must have served in the U.S. military, and must have lived in the Wright City zip code, (63390), at some point in their lives. They are available to all current and former Wright City veterans and service members whether they are living or deceased, active-duty or retired. They also ask that applicants submit a photo in which they are in uniform.
Banners can be purchased for $100 and the last day to register is March 15. There is a registration form that can be filled out by applicants on the committee’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WrightCityDRC. Applicants can also reach out to Hill at 636-725-2514 to register.
“This is something that the team has been talking about for about a year and we finally implemented it,” said Hill. “It just took us a minute to figure out how we wanted to promote it, and how much it was going to cost.”
She also noted that those who are recognized on a banner will receive their banner when it is removed, and may reapply again the following year to install another. She said this was to keep the banners looking fresh and prevent fading and damage from the elements.
“The banners are red, and red is probably one of the worst colors that fades with sun,” said Hill.
Any profits from the program will be put toward the committee’s next project. While still in the early phases, Hill said they hope to commission a mural on one of the downtown buildings in the future.
