Applications are now closed for 2022
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2022 Hometown Hero Banner Program Guidelines
Nominees must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:
Residency
Be a current or former resident of Wilmington
Service
Served in the United States Armed Forces
Honorable Discharge
Meets one of the following:
- Currently on active duty
- Received honorable discharge
- Died in the line of duty
The following information must be provided with your application. No exceptions can be made.
- A signed photo release
- If living, the signature of the veteran. Banners may not be applied for as a surprise.
- Submitted copy of an official military verification document, such as DD-214 or a current military ID card
Banner Design and Display
Banners are 24” x 48” double-sided vinyl. Banners include a singular Veteran’s name, branch of service, years active, and photograph. Banners will be displayed on poles along Route 53 (Historic 66) and Route 102 in Wilmington for a two-year period, between approximately Memorial Day through Veteran’s Day. If all available spots fill there, banners may be placed along other roads. Specific locations cannot be requested. Banners may, and likely will, appear in different locations in their first and second years of display.
Banner Photograph
You will need to provide a photograph of the veteran in uniform for use on the banner. We can accept prints and 35mm slides or film strips. Due to the size of the banners, the photo will print approximately 18 inches wide and 23 inches tall. It is important that we scan an original photo. Making a copy on a home printer or using a clipping of a newspaper photo will make for a blurry photo when it is enlarged on the banner. Your original photograph will be available for pickup after we have scanned it for your banner.
Cost
The cost per banner is $150 for display in 2022 and 2023.
Additional Information
- The number of locations available are limited. Spaces are given to complete qualifying applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Do not bring in your applications early, the application period opens for everybody at the same time.
- Please do not submit an application without the accompanying photograph, service verification, and signatures. Your application is not considered complete until all accompanying documentation is received.
- The deadline to submit an application with all required documents is March 31, 2022, or until all spots are full. If you are reading this after March 31, it is too late to get a banner made for this year.
- At the end of the two-year display period, applicants may choose to keep their banners. You will be contacted at the email or phone number provided on the application with pickup details. Banners not picked up will become property of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce. Any damage sustained to an installed banner will be handled at the discretion of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce.
- One veteran per banner and one banner per veteran.
- Applying for a banner as a surprise to a living veteran is not permitted under any circumstance.
Purchased a banner in 2020 or 2021?
2020 Banners
You can pick up your banner from Spins & Needles at 614 Davy Ln during their normal business hours. Call Spins & Needles at (815) 592-1183 for any questions about banner pickup.
2021 Banners
You do not need to do anything. Banners purchased in 2021 will be displayed for their second year alongside 2022 banners. Your banner will be available for pickup sometime after Veteran’s Day 2022.
