Neighborhood, town officials celebrate dedication of George Banks Blvd

Defying rising early summer temperatures and humidity on Saturday, June 25th, friends, neighbors, and town officials gathered to officially open George Banks Boulevard on the Town of Front Royal’s north side from East 13th to 16th Street near Edgemont and Scranton Avenues. A stage was set up for live music – music was ‘a passion’ for Banks one speaker noted, and multiple booths hawked various items and memorabilia of the event officially kicking off at 11 a.m. on the block in front of the late Front Royal mayor and town councilman’s home.

The crowd gathers and the ribbon officially opening George Banks Blvd. is cut. Photos by Roger Bianchini. Video by Mark Williams; Interviews by Mike McCool

The Front Royal Town Council recently approved the name change initiative brought forward by citizens seeking to honor the memory of Front Royal’s first black town councilman and mayor who had passed recently. Present for the ribbon cutting from the town government were Town Manager Steven Hicks, Councilwoman Letasha Thompson, Vice-Mayor Lori Cockrell, and Town Police Chief Kahle Magalis.

Another former town mayor and councilman, Stan Brooks, recently recalled Banks’ positive influence on him in a letter to Royal Examiner. Recalling Banks’ positive contributions to the conduct of town government, Brooks observed how his former colleague helped him understand how to disagree with others on specific issues without building walls to further positive communications on that or other issues.

‘Kids, Community, Service’ – the sign in the Banks home’s front yard says it all. And across the street ‘Kids Blvd’ is open too, and there were kids there to enjoy it.

Too bad it would seem, that others at the local, state, and national political levels didn’t come under Banks’ tutelage while he was here to give it.