Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope you have a peaceful and relaxing holiday weekend, as we say farewell to the summer of 2022.

As you’ve heard, our Hometown Heroes banner program is up and successfully running. I have already processed more than a dozen applications - with more on the way.

As I am passionate about making this program as inclusive as possible, please help get the word out to any family, friends or acquaintances wishing to commemorate and memorialize the many local servicemen and women who so selflessly served.

The program will run through the entire month of September, giving you plenty of time to apply. This timeline provides us enough time to procure the banners and have them in place by Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

To obtain an application, you can pick one up at borough hall, 1401 Laubach Ave.; text me at 484-239-7426; or email me at mayortony@rcn.com. Please include the address to where the applications should be sent. Easy enough. I will get an application out to you the same day and follow up to ensure it is received in a suitable time.

For your part, just fill out the application as thoroughly as possible and provide a quality photograph of the honoree. The photo will later be scanned, so the better the quality of the submission, the better the result.

This is the first time I am running this program, and I know the love and appreciation you have for our service members. I see us lining Main Street with dozens of these banners by Veterans Day. What an impressive sight that will be. Just keep those applications coming in!

As a side note, I plan to later extend this program to include our Hometown Heroes who serve with the fire department, police department, fire police and first responders. More on that later.

Plan to spend Sept. 10 on Main Street as the Northampton Area Chamber of Commerce hosts the annual Uptown Northampton Street Fair. With great entertainment, a wide variety of foods and plenty of vendors to help you get a jump on your Christmas shopping, it will certainly be a delightful day on Main Street.

Our police force will be there providing child safety identification cards for the parents of our youngsters. Just stop by the booth, where we take a photo and fingerprint of your child, then produce a plastic, credit card-sized identification card for your files (which we hope you’ll never have to use).

I look forward to seeing you uptown Sept. 10. In the meantime, be safe and healthy and enjoy the days.