Why is Shanksville Borough hosting a public event on Saturday at the community grove?

SHANKSVILLE ― A brief banner display is planned for Saturday afternoon to celebrate and recognize the community’s military men and women for their dedication and service to the nation.

Since November, borough council members, several willing volunteers and residents of Shanksville Borough, Stonycreek Township, Indian Lake Borough and beyond have been compiling names, photographs and service records of local veterans and active-duty personnel for a military banner project.

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How many banners were produced?

A total of 133 banners have been produced with the community’s financial support, including families now living in at least five other states, and now the public is invited to a temporary exhibition of the finished banners before they are installed on area utility poles later this month.

The brief exhibition, titled “Shanksville Salutes,” takes place from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the Shanksville Community Grove, 1291 Cornerstone Road. The event is being held rain or shine, except in the case of severe weather; if that occurs, an announcement will be posted online at Shanksvillesalutes.org and the exhibition would then be rescheduled to 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

“The response to the project has far exceeded our expectations,” said Shanksville Council President Mark Wilt. “We are very excited to see all 133 banners displayed as a group, and to share this expression of gratitude to our servicemen and women with the whole community.”

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Many eras of military service represented

The banners cover more than 100 years of military service, including five veterans of World War I and 16 service members who have served or are still serving in the Global War on Terrorism, said Donna Glessner, one of the volunteers on the Shanksville Military Banner Project Committee.

On Saturday morning, the banners will be temporarily attached to the fencing around the grove’s tennis courts to allow easy viewing from ground level. The banners will be arranged by era of service, then alphabetically. There are 54 veterans of World War II, 12 veterans of the Korean War, 28 veterans of the Vietnam War and several whose military careers included more than one military action. There are 18 pairs of siblings, nine groups of father and son banners and one group that includes four generations of a single family, Glessner said.

There are also banners honoring 18 persons who were either killed in action or died non-battle during their military service.

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Veterans, family members and the public are welcome to walk through, view and take photographs with any of the military banners, Glessner said. A limited number of handicapped accessible parking spaces are available near the tennis courts, and there is an accessible drop-off area there, as well. Others who want to attend may use parking spaces throughout the grove and walk to the tennis courts. Those who need seating should bring along a folding or lawn chair.

At 1:30 p.m., the national anthem will be sung by Shanksville-Stonycreek High School senior Jack Keiser, followed by an introduction to the display by Wilt.

“We are not planning a formal program, but rather a time for people to come and go as they wish, wander among the banners and pause to remember the sacrifice of so many,” he said.

The Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department also plans to sell food and beverages at the grove’s concession stand from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

At 4 p.m., volunteers will start removing the banners from the tennis court, Glessner said. The banners will be installed before Memorial Day on utility poles around Shanksville and seven roads that lead out from the borough; they will remain up through Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

Some photos from Saturday’s event will be posted later to the shanksvillesalutes.org website for those who were unanle to attend, Glessner said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Why is Shanksville Borough hosting a public event on Saturday at the community grove?