Downtown Maryville Banners Honoring Veterans

Downtown Maryville has erected 28 banners honoring veterans on light poles around the Nodaway County Courthouse.

Facebook link on erection of banners Oct. 6, 2026

Here are excerpts from a Northwest Missourian interview with Maryville Downtown board member Doug Seipel about the program:

Doug Seipel, a Downtown Maryville board member, got the idea while living in Arizona after a friend showed him how other communities honor their veterans. 

My buddy Ben – his dad’s also a Navy vet like my dad — (said) they do it back in Miamisburg, Ohio, sent me a picture of it, I thought, ‘That’s really cool,’” Seipel said.

From there, he proposed the idea to the Downtown Maryville board and its members. He said it was delayed a few times before finally being put into action.

For its inaugural year, 28 banners are going up, corresponding to the 28 light poles around the Nodaway County Courthouse square.

Downtown Maryville Executive Director DeAnn Davison said the Downtown Maryville board wanted to get the banners up in a timely manner, so it had to quickly share information about the project with the public.

Here’s an AI summary of the history of the program:

The Hometown Heroes Banner Program originated in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 2006 as a grassroots effort to honor local service members and Gold Star families. [1, 2]

Origin and Growth

• The First Campaign: Launched in 2006 (with opening ceremonies in May 2007), the initial initiative in Harrisburg featured hundreds of banners showcasing local military pictures, names, ranks, and branches of service displayed on street and utility poles. [1, 2]

• Early Expansion: The idea quickly spread to neighboring towns and states. For instance, Kingston, New York, adopted an early wave led by local coordinators featuring over 300 commercial-grade vinyl banners. [1]

• Nationwide Adoption: Today, thousands of municipalities, American Legion posts, VFW chapters, and chambers of commerce run local variations of the program. [1, 2]

How the Program Works

• Design & Specs: Banners typically measure around 24×60 inches or 30×60 inches and feature a photo of the veteran in uniform, their name, rank, branch, conflict/era, and a sponsor’s name. [1, 2]

• Display Schedule: Banners are usually hung around utility or lampposts ahead of Memorial Day and remain displayed through Veterans Day (though some communities display them year-round or on an 18-month rotation). [1, 2]

• Funding: Most programs operate via community or family sponsorships covering the cost of printing and mounting brackets, with proceeds often supporting local veterans’ organizations or community projects. [1, 2]