Vote on flag for 275th anniversary

CORNWALL — It’s not surprising, in this artistic town: 105 entries were submitted for a flag design competition for Cornwall’s 275th anniversary. 

Somehow, a panel of three judges managed to whittle the field down to three finalists. The public now gets to vote for the winner, which will earn a $275 prize. The top designs are on display at the Wish House and the Cornwall Library. Votes may be cast during their regular hours until Friday, July 10.

The winning design will become part of the town’s history when it debuts during the first celebratory event on Aug. 1, in what is shaping up to be an epic day of parades and community picnics.  

Flag designers were cut loose with a minimum of instruction. They were asked to create a clean design with no more than five colors. Dozens of creative minds proceeded to ponder a banner that would epitomize “Cornwall!”

As expected, the designs were extremely varied. 

Some artists took it very seriously. One even borrowed the state flag motto, “Qui transtulit, sustinet,” which translates as “Who transplants, sustains.”

There were lots of drawings from children, with a recurring theme of coyotes, the Cornwall Consolidated School mascot. More than one adult also depicted the howling beast while attempting to capture Cornwall’s essence.

Lots of folks used humor and picked up on the corn and wall, as in stone wall, references. 

One entrant used close-up photographs of corn kernels and stones, and the motto “Cornwall: Strange But Nice.”

All that is Cornwall can be found in the designs. There are towering pines, tractors, cows, the Covered Bridge, the river, barns. There are the town’s recreational resources, including a detailed map of Mohawk Mountain’s trails. One proclaims it to be “The Forest Town.” Ironically, no one depicted the town’s rich arts heritage.

There were not many with the number 275 in their design, either. One could presume the idea was for a flag that would endure.

But back to the humor. 

All of the entries are available to peruse at www.cornwallassociation.com, the contest sponsor’s website. It will surely become a game of trying to figure out which was done by whom.

For instance, whose mind came up with a flag of green and white stripes with a large gnat on a field of gold?

Or a “no see-um” flag, with a clear, plastic folder submitted as the design from someone who won’t be seein’ a prize?

The also-rans are truly special.

What one won’t find with the slide show are the narratives submitted with each design, lots of which could use some explaining. Narratives are posted with the finalists, however.

In no particular order, entry A is simplicity itself with horizontal stripes of green, white, red and blue, and three small, black squares. 

“It’s the bridge, silly,” the artist wrote. 

B has similar colors, with a stylized bridge emblazoned on a large blue-and-green cow. A detailed explanation includes a history of the bridge. This one has seven white windows that represent the principal “localities” in Cornwall. The colors represent the ski mountain, bodies of water and all that is natural here. The cow, we all know, refers to the town’s rich farming history.

C is also a simple design, with a giant “C,” for Cornwall and community, on a field split between blue and yellow; the colors represent grass, pine trees, sunshine and sky. 

In keeping with the anniversary theme, the second-place prize is $27.50. Third place finds its riches in symbolism, at $2.75.