(File photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Angie Rolheiser

Honouring veterans

Banner program to honour area veterans coming to Melfort

Jul 19, 2021 | 5:17 PM

The Melfort Legion banner program will aim to honour area veterans in time for Remembrance Day.

The Legion, along with Melfort Communities in Bloom, have partnered in an effort to fly commemorative banners throughout the city this fall.

President of the Legion Jim Graham told northeastNOW the banners would begin on Highway 6 near the Canalta Hotel.

“They would run right down Saskatchewan Ave. to the other side of town and of course every light pole can have one,” Graham said.

The banners would be on display each fall for the next three years and then would be returned to the family or sponsor.

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“The existing PlayMelfort banners would be up from January to October and then the veterans would go up October through November, the city would then replace those with Christmas stuff,” Graham said.

Applications for the banners are now being accepted and the cost for each is $200. The $200 will pay for the banner to be made as well as a $25 donation to the Royal Canadian Legion Melfort Branch #30.

“After the three-year period, whoever pays for the banner will get to keep the banner because by then it would start to wear out,” Graham said.

The deadline to sponsor one of the 50 banners is the middle of August to allow time to get them made and installed by early October.

The program would be re-initiated and could be re-sponsored by the same person or someone else would have the opportunity to honour a veteran.

The business portion of highway south of the tracks and Saskatchewan Ave. will be soon designated as ‘Veterans Way.’

“In other communities that I have seen them in, they are very attractive and adds to the fabric,” Graham said. “It really shows the strong character and shows how much the veterans contributed to the community before and after the conflicts they were in.”

The Melfort Legion building will also be getting a poppy mural painted onto it in the next couple of weeks to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the poppy.

“I think it will add such attractiveness to the building and you can see that wall so well from the other street too,” Graham said.

(Facebook/Northern Lights Gallery)

Carla Tyacke, who also has an art exhibit set-up at the Kerry Vickar Centre through July, will be painting the mural.

“I’m hoping to start when it cools down a bit so hopefully at the beginning of August,” Tyacke said. “I’m kind of thinking it will take about 40 hours to complete but it will be fun.”

This will be the first outside wall mural that Tyacke has ever done.

Legion members hosted a rib night in conjunction with the Back Alley Tour last Thursday where they served 150 meals.

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angie.rolheiser@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @Angie_Rolheiser