Elk Ridge City Wants You To Join the Flag Craze

Submitted by Elk Ridge City

Elk Ridge City wants to join the ranks of cities with great flags.  Every great city deserves a great flag! So, every city in Utah County has a great flag, right? Not quite.  Several cities in the county have municipal flags, but they may not be known by residents.  Maybe they are not flown and not known because the designs are poor.  Maybe some of the other cities in the county without flags have never thought that a “great” design could give positive vibes to residents and visitors.  Maybe those flagless cities have been waiting to understand the 5 principles of good flag design to help them find one they love.

We know country flags, and we know some state flags, and some of them really rock!  A flag is worth some envy when it sticks out and you recognize it: Arizona, New Mexico, Maryland, Texas, Alaska. Municipal flag designs can join that club.  There is no shortage of designs, and every city can discover a great one that will make its residents rave.  Elk Ridge is going to do just that.  And you can help!  Elk Ridge wants your help!

Elk Ridge residents, Dallin Millington and Linda Jones, had a conversation early in February that sparked the idea of getting an official city flag adopted and to use the same image as patches for the city Emergency and Fire department.  Dallin and Linda approached city officials, receiving a positive response.  The full city council then approved the formation of an Elk Ridge flag design committee, of which Dallin and Linda are a part.  Other committee members include: Tricia Thomas - city council member, James Ebert - senior at Salem Hills High School, Jon McNaughton - artist, and flag experts from Colonial Flag in Sandy.

The committee is now ready to receive submissions, from March 1st until April 15th, 2017 at 12:00pm.  Beginning March 1, your submissions can be made online by following the instructions at elkridgecityflagcontest.org, or your submissions can be taken to the Elk Ridge city office building with each submission on a 3x5 index card and filling out a submission form, which are available there.

Suggested guidelines include: the 5 principles of good flag design described on the submission forms and the website, and an elk represented in the design is preferred. All resident and nonresident designs are welcome.  All submissions will be judged by the committee, and the field will be narrowed to a reasonable number to be voted on by city residents between April 16 and May 1.  The design with the most votes will win the contest, and will be presented to the Mayor and City Council for adoption as the official city flag. The winner of the contest will receive a prize from a private donor - a full-size flag in the winning design.  It will also be made into a flag for the city and unveiled at the city celebration June 23rd and 24th.  We expect that all will want to buy and fly their own Elk Ridge city flag!  And we expect that all the cities in Utah County will want to discover their municipal flags and fly them proudly or encourage a design that will do the trick.