Columbia adopts official city flag with themes of 'liberty, unity and the Duck River'

For many communities, organizations and cultures, having an official flag is a way to not only give identity, but display a sense of pride and symbolism as to what's at its heart.

And up until this month, Columbia had no official flag in its records, nor was there an official process in how to adopt one.

Columbia City Council voted this month to adopt an official flag, which was created by local artist and small business owner Bryson Leach. Leach was chosen out of 41 candidates as part of a recent flag design competition. The competition was spearheaded by local scout Nathaniel Bliss as part of his Eagle Scout project, with additional coordination provided by the Columbia Arts Council.

"This all started with me just brainstorming projects, because I didn't know what I wanted to do, and figured this might be something out of the box," Bliss said. "I figured this would be good and something long-lasting for the community, and I'm glad it worked out. It's pretty cool."

The flag's design is based on multiple themes Leach felt best exemplified Columbia, which are "leadership, unity, history, diversity, the Tennessee flag and The Duck River." This includes a two-toned red and blue acknowledging Columbia's presidential history, as well as the state flag. Its horizontal blue stripes represent The Duck River, with its weaving in the center representing Columbia's role in the Civil Rights movement beginning in 1946.,

"This was a pretty cool experience, and I was joking saying this may be a career highlight for me, since I'm a little bit of a flag nerd," Leach said. "I just gave it a shot, and I look forward to seeing it flown all over town."

Mayor Chaz Molder, who presented Leach with a certificate of excellence, commented on the flag's design, and the overall project itself as a community-driven competition, and that Bliss should be commended for coming up with the idea. Molder also joked that while he's the only male in his family not to become an Eagle Scout, in a way this project gave him the opportunity in spirit.

"This really all began with someone who sent an email wanting to create a city flag and make it part of his Eagle Scout project," Molder said. "Really and truly the amount of work he put into this before even coming to me, doing the research ... Nathan is really where it started, and it evolved into a full community effort and participation. We are really proud of the final outcome."

The flags will be produced with help from local Flag World located in downtown Columbia, and an official flag raising ceremony will be scheduled at a later time.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Columbia adopts official city flag