Cobleskill’s hero banners honoring veterans will be retired for the winter in a special ceremony Sunday, Veterans’ Day.
The morning observance is one of more than half-dozen events honoring veterans in the coming days.
More than 60 hero banners lined Cobleskill streets this summer. Each banner has a photo of the vet and his or her branch of service and years served.
The intent all along was to have the banners up by Memorial Day and take them down Veterans’ Day so they don’t get battered by winter weather.
Organized by AMVETS, Sunday’s observance will be at 8:30am in Centre Park. There will be a welcome by Mayor Linda Holmes and AMVETS Navy veteran Dick Frank.
“We’re going to call out the names, and then the banner sponsors or a family member will fold the banners,” Mr. Frank said.
If a sponsor or family member can’t attend, Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts will fold the banner, he added.
“This is a special ceremony to honor veterans,” Mr. Frank said. “The focus is on them and the banners.”
There will also be coffee and doughnuts, courtesy of AMVETS, at the nearby Brick House Bakery.
The hero banners became popular immediately when Mayor Holmes began spearheading the project a year ago.
Though the thrust is to honor veterans, Mayor Holmes asked that the veteran, sponsor or family have some connection to Cobleskill.
“We’re very pleased with the response,” Mayor Holmes said. “It’s been an honor to do this.
“Cobleskill has always supported veterans. This demonstrates more pride in them than we already had.”
Village crews took the banners down Friday to allow them to dry from the recent rain.
They’ll go back up before Memorial Day, and new banners can be ordered by calling the village office at 518-234-3891.

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Special gatherings will honor veterans this week, with most of them coming before Sunday, Veterans’ Day.
On Thursday, Cobleskill-Richmondville’s Radez School will have its traditional breakfast for vets at 7:30am and an observance at 8:30am.
Also on Thursday, SUNY Cobleskill will host its Veterans Appreciation Dinner from 5pm to 7pm in the Bouck Ballroom. Proceeds will benefit the SUNY Cobleskill Student Veterans Association.
On Friday, C-R’s Ryder School will have a breakfast for veterans at 7:30am and a program beginning at 8:30.
Also on Friday, Middleburgh Elementary School will have a special ceremony for veterans with a breakfast at 8:15 and a program at 9.
Gilboa-Conesville Central School will have an assembly for veterans in the auditorium from 9am to 10 on Friday.
Seniors in Sharon Springs will host a luncheon at 11:30am Friday at the firehouse followed by a Four Chaplains service.
On Sunday, the Cobleskill Elks Lodge is having a breakfast for veterans, 9am to 11. Veterans eat for free; for all others, the cost is $8.
Schoharie Central School will have an assembly for veterans in the high school auditorium at 8:30am on Wednesday the 14th. A reception will follow.