By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Decatur now has a flag to represent it and Don Gephart has $1,000 for producing the design chosen in voting.
The winning design was unveiled Saturday at Downtown Decatur Day by Jenny Bowers-Shultz, a member of city council who originated the idea of having a flag to represent the city.
The contest to select a winner was free and open to county and non-county residents. Design entries came from “all over the country,” Bowers-Shultz in making the announcement.
The purpose of adopting a city flag aims to foster civic pride, uniting the community around an official symbol representative of the history and promising future of the City of Decatur, she said Saturday.
Criteria for the entries was based on principles of good flag design outlined by the North American Vexillological Association, including:
Simplicity; meaningful symbolism; 2-3 basic colors; no lettering or seals; distinctiveness; clarity and memorability.
More than 50 entries were submitted and a committee narrowed the field down to three, then released them for a public vote. The design favored by the committee was the “overwhelming popular public choice,” Bowers-Shultz said.
Don Gephart, who was unable to attend Saturday’s unveiling, is an Adams County resident and a Bellmont High School graduate.
Members of the selection committee were Mary Montgomery Byer, Sandy Collier, Scott Murray, Max Miller and Jamie Gephart.
City council must give final approval and is expected to do so at its next meeting, July 1.
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