By Conrad Dudderar
Associate Editor
Sixty-eight banners honoring military heroes and first responders will be featured in an upcoming Yukon 66 Main Street tribute.
Yukon 66 Main Street presents its fourth annual “Yukon Salutes” banner display as part of Yukon’s observance of Veterans Appreciation Month, Oct. 11 through Nov. 11.
“We may be the only community in the state – maybe the nation – that does a Veterans Appreciation Month,” Yukon Main Street Director Vicki Davis said at the Oct. 3rd city council meeting.
Banners featuring U.S. military veterans, active-duty personnel and first responders will be displayed on street poles along Main Street (Route 66) in Yukon.
A ceremony and ribbon cutting for the Yukon Salutes program will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 hosted by the Yukon Veterans Museum, 1012 W Main.
“This is both our military members and first responders – we have 68 banners this year,” Davis said. “We are very proud of all of the sacrifice and all the commitment to country that each of those banners represent.”
Featured speaker will by State Rep, Jay Steagall (R-Yukon), a Yukon Main Street business owner and U.S. Air Force veteran.
Refreshments will be served. The Oct. 14th Yukon Salutes kickoff reception will feature the unveiling of a special World War II public art exhibit.
Yukon’s unique banner display “celebrates and honors the men and women in our lives and in the community who contribute to our safety, health and freedoms,” according to the Yukon 66 Main Street Association’s website.
The 68 banners will be the most on display in an individual year since the Yukon Salutes program started, Davis said.
VETERANS APPRECIATION
The Yukon Salutes banner display is being presented in conjunction with Yukon’s observance of Veterans Appreciation Month.
Mayor Shelli Selby at the recent city council meeting proclaimed Oct. 11 through Nov. 11 as Veterans Appreciation Month.
Veterans Day is, quite appropriately, celebrated on Nov. 11.
“We appreciate our veterans,” Yukon’s mayor said.
Selby read aloud a proclamation that recognizes armed forces’ veterans who have sacrificed – and in many instances – paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Yukon citizens “will always remember and pay homage to our military community, both active and inactive, for their contribution, dedication and commitment to the cause of our freedom,” the proclamation reads.
“(I)n honor of these dedicated men and women, we pledge our continued defense of our nation so that their sacrifice will stand before the entire world as a tribute to the spirit and determination of a people dedicated to the principles of freedom and democracy.”
Mayor Selby will again read the proclamation at the Oct. 14th Yukon Salutes ceremony.
