On a trip to Pennsylvania, one of the Powers Lake, Buckaroo 4-H Club leaders, Lani Lucy, who is business manager at the Powers Lake school, discovered Hometownherobanners.org, a donation-based program in Honeoye Falls, New York. Hometown Hero Banners were first displayed in various communities in New York in 2012. Lucy introduced the idea to the Powers Lake club and a project was born.

The Hometown Hero banners are approximately $185 each, so the club decided to apply for a grant with the North Dakota State Fair Foundation.

The city council was next on its list. The club proposed its idea, which was “pretty cool” for the young people to go to a city council meeting, said Elizabeth Loeks, a fourth-grade teacher and club leader.

The club needed to do fundraising so applied for gaming as well as providing concessions at games. The 4-H members formed committees in the club. One group designed the nomination forms, another group put posters around town to get the word out and yet another group worked on the fundraising.

Buckaroo 4-H club member Kalea Lucy, of Powers Lake, holds her grandfather’s veteran’s banner.

The club has 20 members of all ages. In addition to Loeks and Lucy, cattle rancher Jessica Bullinger is a club leader.

With the grant, gaming and community support, the Buckaroos have succeeded in hanging 20 banners around town. The Buckaroos started the project in October 2021 and hung the first banner this past July, Loeks said. Community members could donate and “they did, amazingly so, amazingly so. The community support has just been unreal,” she said.

For the most part, almost everyone donated enough for their own family member’s banner, but some have donated double and even triple so that someone else can get a banner hung in town, Loeks said.

The Buckaroos plan to put in another order for banners in September, Loeks said. She said the orders keep trickling in.

The oldest veteran featured on a banner is from the Spanish-American War. They have the information and are looking for a photo, Loeks said.

If the time comes when there are more banners than poles, they can hang them double-sided, she said.

The Buckaroos will continue fundraising efforts to secure new orders and replace banners sustaining wear and tear.

The City of Powers Lake also has been amazing, Loeks said.

The city will take down the banners in the winter months, for longevity. The banners season will be Memorial Day to Veterans Day.

Loeks said they would love to see this spread to other towns. She said it is the coolest feeling driving through town and seeing all these veterans being honored. The Buckaroos also plan to make an audio tour, adding QR codes to each pole to enable people to listen to a youngster’s sweet voice reciting the veteran’s information, Loeks said.