CEDAR CITY — After a lengthy process, much discussion of the Red Hill and some design-tuning, the city revealed its new flag on Valentine’s Day at the weekly City Council meeting.
The Youth City Council kick-started the campaign in August 2023, spearheaded by Cedar High School student Sadie Hinck, who said the previous flag was “a little outdated.” The hope was to choose a new design representing the city’s “unique characteristics and timeless nature,” Cedar City News previously reported.
After receiving over 60 potential flag design submissions, the field was narrowed to six possibilities. Cedar City residents were asked to pick their favorites, with Kenten Pope’s design taking first place. He was awarded $250 for the winning design.
“I’ve lived in Cedar City for 10 years now, and it’s been a great honor and privilege to be able to create something to give back to this city,” he said at the Nov. 29 City Council meeting.
Beginning in November, the City Council worked with Pope, a graphic designer and others to tweak the design. Councilmember Ron Riddle requested the design include the city’s quintessential Red Hill, a symbol that locals have “hiked on, biked on, climbed on.”
Pope created a version of the design featuring the Red Hill’s color in place of the gold that’s currently present. Ultimately, on Dec. 6, he recommended the council choose the gold version to represent Cedar City’s “great summers.”
“There’s a lot of chemical makeup that goes into the printing of a design — the printing of a flag,” he said. “Printing on paper, the colors are much more rich. Printing on fabric usually dilutes the color a little bit, depending on fabric type.”
“So, depending on the makeup, the color is going to change, and it will fade in the sun. It’ll fade with the wind and will become more pink and not the Red Hill color,” Pope continued. “So I would encourage you to use the gold because, as it fades, it’ll just be a lighter gold, and you won’t notice the difference.”
The flag was adopted in December and formally revealed Feb. 14 at the City Council meeting. Hinck thanked the community, the Youth City Council and the current and previous Cedar City Council members who supported the project.
“It’s been such a rewarding thing for me, personally,” she said. “I’ve gotten to kind of explore the little things you have to do to actually get something moving through a government body. And it’s been a real treat, and I’m very, very grateful for the opportunity.”
While the flag was already hanging in the council chambers, another was brought for the unveiling. Multiple people, including Pope, Hinck, Cedar City Mayor Garth Green and City Council members, posed for pictures with the flag during the short ceremony.
The final design includes various symbols of the city, incorporating the pennant flags from the city’s logo and its official colors, according to the city’s website.
“The pennants mimic those found in the first festival, the Utah Shakespeare Festival,” the site reads. “The pennant shape also has a similar shape to lightning bolts giving a nod to Southern Utah University and the Thunderbird mascot. The sharp points at the bottom of the flag replicate the beautiful Cedar City mountains. The final shape in the upper left of the flag is a 5-point star with each point representing a band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.”
Cedar City residents who wish to hang the new flag at home can contact Colonial Flag to purchase their own, the city announced on Facebook.
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