Nesquehoning’s Hometown Heroes are being honored with American flags.

Motorists and residents traveling through the borough see Catawissa Street, as well as several other streets, lined with American flags, hung next to a Hometown Hero banner.

“When we saw that there were flags downtown on Memorial Day, but they weren’t on every pole, we thought maybe we could begin a project to honor those with flags,” said Lois Corby Kuba, a committee member of the Honoring Hometown Heroes campaign, which accompanies the Hometown Hero banner program.

Mary “Pookie” Arieta and Maureen Hirochek wrote a letter to area businesses asking for help for the new campaign.

The group, comprised of Kuba, Arieta, Christa Acciarito, Ted Dacey, Robert Paul and Hirochek, thought it would take them a few years to purchase enough flags to hang at each Hometown Hero banner, but through the generosity of the community, the first phase of the project has already been completed.

“We thought we would start with different sections and put flags here and there,” Kuba said, noting that there are approximately 180 Hometown Hero banners in the borough. “But we completed it this year.”

“The community has been overwhelmingly supportive,” Arieta said. Dozens of residents and groups donated to the cause.

Arieta went through True Value in Nesquehoning to obtain the approximate 115 flags, poles and brackets to cover the parts of town that didn’t already have flags. Terance “Chippy” Snyder and his son, Connor, who assembled the poles and attached the flags.

Over the next few months, Arieta said volunteers Skip Cox and Dacey accompanied borough worker Nick Degiglio or volunteer Brian Kunkel, who installed the new brackets and flags. They also fix them if they fall.

The American flags will now be hung on the poles in the town for major holidays, including Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Veterans Day and then removed after the holiday to preserve the flags.

Hometown Hero banners are displayed from Memorial Day through Veterans Day and then removed for the winter.

Arieta said that if a banner or flag falls from its bracket, or is in tattered condition, residents should contact the borough office or herself.

Hirochek has also sent out thank yous to those who donated.

Arieta and Kuba said that the Honoring Hometown Heroes campaign will be ongoing to allow for the purchase of flags to replace American flags as they become worn or faded.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the cause can do so by sending a check, made payable to the Nesquehoning VFW Auxiliary, to Mary Arieta, 118 E. Diaz Ave., Nesquehoning, PA 18240.

Questions can also be sent to impookie@ptd.net or you can call 570-669-9350.