UTICA — The Mohawk Valley Hometown Heroes banner program has expanded into Rome, New Hartford and Whitesboro to allow community members to remember and honor their loved ones’ military service.

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31 that the Mohawk Valley Hometown Heroes banners for veterans program is expanding to more Oneida County communities.

“We celebrate Memorial Day with a great parade in New Hartford, and Whitesboro with Veterans’ Day parades. But these are up the whole summer. And that’s important. It’s not just a one- day, two-day holiday where we recognize our veterans. For this community, it’s all year long,” Picente said.

“There is history here, but there’s more than history, there’s families,” he added. “The amount of time that all these men and women have given out of their lives is something to be remembered.”

The Mohawk Valley Hometown Heroes banner program began in Utica in January 2022, when Mischael McKenna, a member of the Oneida Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, formed a committee with Trena DeFranco, Regent of the Oneida Chapter NSDAR; Tom Buono, of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 944 and Joe Fraccola of the Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 490. 

In its inaugural year, approximately 200 banners were hung along the Memorial Parkway in Utica.

“I myself was one of the first to buy a banner for my father,” Picente said. “My father was a World War II veteran, he served in the European Theater. His banner hung on the Parkway, and I can tell you, I still get choked up at times, and my sisters and family, every time we pass that by.”

In addition to expanding to the city of Rome, the town and village of New Hartford and the village of Whitesboro this year, the committee expects the number of banners in Utica to double.

In Rome, the banners will be placed on the highway through the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. The banners will be hung on Genessee Street and Campion Road in New Hartford, and on Main Street and up Clinton Street in Whitesboro.

“I personally cannot tell you how thrilled I am about the growth of these banners,” McKenna said. “It was just an idea last year, and we were hoping we’d get 50 banners. We got 198. The response was overwhelming. There’s a waiting list and we can hardly wait to open the website tomorrow. The response from the community, everywhere we go, people tell me, ‘I make a point to go down the Parkway when I wouldn’t normally do that. If it’s out of the way, I take that extra time just to see the people.”’

Each banner features the name, military branch, rank and years of service/war served, along with a photo of the veteran. The veteran honored can be living or deceased. The cost to purchase a 30-inch by 60-inch banner is $150. Banners will be displayed from Memorial Day to Veterans Day for three years.

The banners are only available in the participating areas.

Submissions will be taken at the program’s website www.mohawkvalleyhometownheroes.com through March 31.

Picente was joined by local leaders like Rome Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo, New Hartford Mayor Donald Ryan, New Hartford Town Clerk Cheryl A. Jassak-Huther, Whitesboro Mayor Glenn Hopsicker and Oneida County Legislators Cynthia Rogers-Witt and Caroline Gable Reale to celebrate the expansion of the program.

“Rome’s thrilled to be involved,” Izzo said. “What’s a better venue than a former Air Force base and now thriving business and technology park? ... We look forward to displaying these and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of interest. ... There’s no better way to honor a veteran and it’s really nice to see someone’s photo up there.”

“I know we have several [veterans] in our own family, and hopefully we will be buying some of the banners for them as well,” Izzo added.

Ryan said the village of New Hartford is happy to be involved in this initiative.

“We really appreciate all the people that have put this effort forward, and I’m looking forward to decorating our village street, Genesee Street, Campion Road, with these banners,” he said.

“We plan on lining ours down Main Street and up Clinton Street, and I’m going to buy the first two,” Hopsicker said. “We really appreciate it. ... We have to remember all these people.”

“This is a big county. We are one county. We have the three cities, 26 towns, 17 villages,” Picente said. “And I know it’s going to be a matter of time so you should get prepared. Because once they see that Rome, New Hartford and Whitesboro ... we’re going to be hearing from Camden, from Waterville, from Boonville, from all parts of this county. Because people are going to want these banners.”

Mohawk Valley Hometown Heroes is sponsored by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association and Harley Davidson of Utica.