Banners honouring veterans flying high in Harriston

Fifteen banners honouring local veterans were hung around Harriston, Ont., on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014.

There’s something new dotting Harriston’s skyline – but for those who live there, it’s also something familiar.

“They’re familiar guys. I knew a lot of them as I was growing up,” says Doug Davie, who owns an antiques store in the community’s downtown.

What Davie's referring to is the 15 banners lifted into place on lampposts around the community Wednesday morning.

Each banner contains the name and face of a veteran who lived in the area.

“The families of these veterans felt the cause was worthy enough. They paid for these banners to be made,” says Terry Fisk, president of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Branch 296 in Harriston.

The banners will be left on display until after Remembrance Day.

In subsequent years, they’ll again be raised in October and flown for several weeks.

“It’s important for us … to make sure we don’t forget these veterans and all they’ve done,” says Fisk.

The idea for the banners came from Legion members learning of a small town in New Brunswick which did the same thing in 2013.