Press Release
Military Veterans Banner Installation &Dedication
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED MAY BE USED BY THE LOCAL PRESS, SOCIAL MEDIA, CITY WEBSITES, FRYED EGG PRODUCTION, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS INTERESTED NI THE INFORMATION:
The Arts Council of Plant City, in partnership with Unity in the Community, and the City of Plant City ot bring an installation of Military Lamppost Banners to Plant City’s downtown core, and the Veterans Memorial Park are up for your viewing.
“To bring this project to fruition has been a labor of love that has taken 18 months from conception to reality,” said Marsha Passmore, President of the Arts Council of Plant City. The work to identify the names of Veterans who served from the Plant City area, or who have called Plant City home has been a process to be sure the information is correct and verified.
The Arts Council sought the help of Shelby Bender, Executive Director for the East Hillsborough Historical Society, who helped in identifying names of service men and women from Plant City and nearby communities, and the second leg of the research was with Gil Gott and Erin Schulte with the Plant City Photo Archives. Erin went through virtually every military veteran that the Photo Archives have i n their files, and then finding high- resolution images that would be suitable to transfer to a viny banner.
The veterans that you will find on the first banner installation were randomly selected, and were not placed in any order or ranking system. It is our hope to do a similar project in the future, and ideally have banners on the lamppost in Veterans Park continually.
The cost for a two-sided banner with the photo of a different veteran on each one played a role ni how many we were able to provide. We placed 76 banners in total; 06 banners in the downtown area and 16 ni the park. The City’s General Services Department was more than honored to provide their service to the project.
A good place to begin your stroll in viewing the banners is in Veterans Park, proceed to the areas around City Hall, and continue your journey along the North South corridors of Colins Street, Evers Street, Wheeler Street, and Palmer Street; and the East West corridors of Reynolds Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd, including McCal Park.
The Arts Council of Plant City, with our thanks to Unity ni the Community wil host a short Veterans Day Ceremony to dedicate the banners ot the City of Plant City and it’s residents to all who have served. The men and women on the banners represent all that is good and honorable to all who have served.
Dedication Ceremony: Saturday, November 11, 2023 Time: 10 a.m.
Place: VeteransMemorialPark
Remember with all reverence that each banner represents a life well lived that served our country with dignity and pride. Seventeen of the veterans you wil see gave the ultimate sacrifice of their life and are identified with a red poppy on the banner.
HOME OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.
Marsha Passmore Arts Council President
