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Palmerton sign welcomes visitors

Those headed to Palmerton along Route 248 westbound will be welcomed to the community with a brand-new sign at Mauch Chunk Road and Delaware Avenue.

Joe Federanich of the Chamber of Commerce joined Jet Signs’ Braun Bleamer and Paulo Barros at the site to affix the new sign to a stone wall on Wednesday afternoon.

The sign will serve as an illustrious welcoming monument, with the town’s flagpole sitting directly behind it.

The oval wooden sign, crafted by Jet Signs, sits within a partial cutout on the wall, and features Palmerton Park’s gazebo as a centerpiece.

On either side of the wall is a statue of a horse’s head, an homage to Palmerton’s origins and the New Jersey Zinc Company, which became the Horsehead Holding Corporation.

“We wanted something a little different. Most towns seem to just have two poles with a ‘welcome’ sign,” Federanich said.

“Everyone who knows Palmerton knows the park and the gazebo, so that’s why we picked that. The horse heads, those were actually an afterthought. We found them in a store in Allentown, and when we saw them we said, ‘That’s perfect.’ ”

Lighting was tested on Wednesday evening, and a “welcome” sign will be mounted on the stone wall soon. Federanich said that the grounds will be landscaped in the spring.

The flag was brought to the borough by Sgt. Maj. of the U.S. Army Daniel Dailey. A Palmerton native, Dailey became the 15th sergeant major of the Army in January 2015.

The 20-by-38-foot American flag, brought home from Iraq by Dailey, was raised up for Veterans Day last year at the entrance to Palmerton off Route 248.

The Palmerton United Veterans Organization also unveiled a plaque commemorating the site in Dailey’s honor.

Federanich estimates that the total cost of the sign hovers around $12,000. Anyone willing to donate funding to offset the cost of materials and labor may contribute to the Chamber of Commerce.

Palmerton Chamber of Commerce’s Joe Federanich and Jet Signs’ Paulo Barros and Braun Bleamer carefully balance the new sign at Mauch Chunk Road and Delaware Avenue. BRIAN W. MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS