The county flag designed by Riley Wall, an Alexander student, could be in the running to become the official county flag, Planning Director Felipe Oltamari revealed after a ceremony yesterday recognizing Riley's winning design in the youth art competition.
The winner of the adult design competition, which hasn't been announced yet, was expected to become the new official county flag but "a lot of people have said they really like this one better, it's really grown on me," Oltamari said. "It's really grown on me. We'll see what the Legislature decides."
The flag designed by Riley flew outside the Genesee County Courthouse yesterday in an honor that culminated with a proclamation presented to Riley but Legislator Gary Maha.
Riley designed the flag, she said, to reflect the county's agricultural roots and the diversity of the county's residents. It depicts an ear of corn and two hands reaching to grasp it, one white and the other brown.
As it turned out, planning department staff and Oltamari's mother ended up making the flag -- cutting the patterns, sewing the pieces together -- in short order after the flag company originally hired to create the flag wasn't able to complete the order in time to fly yesterday.
Previously: Alexander Central eighth-grader's Genesee County flag judged as the best in children's contest
