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Montgomery County, Tennessee (U.S.)

By TODD DEFEO, The Leaf-Chronicle

For Debra Sutton, the historic courthouse in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, is a true county edifice. "It's the most prominent, easily-identified county landmark," Sutton said. "I think everyone can associate with it." And when the county solicited designs for a new flag, Sutton didn't hesitate to incorporate an image of historic structure. It paid off. On Monday, the Montgomery County Commission chose her design as the county's first flag. "I'm delighted; it's an honor," Sutton said. "I'm a designer at heart."

The county received 54 entries from area residents. The new flag will be unveiled at the upcoming Rivers & Spires festival, which kicks off April 12. "Any of these would have been a good choice," County Mayor Doug Weiland said of the proposed designs. "We had some very good entries." A panel of five commissioners -- Sissy Rankin, District 1; Lewis Baggett, District 12; Lettie Kendall, District 13; Reber Kennedy, District 14; and Pat Vaden, District 20 -- volunteered to review all the entries earlier this month. The screening committee narrowed the field to five designs.

After the festival, the flag will be displayed at the historic Montgomery County Courthouse. County officials plan on inviting everyone who submitted a flag design to participate in the flag parade during the Rivers & Spires Festival, Weiland said.

The city of Clarksville chose a design for its flag after a similar process in the late 1980s. The city's flag, which is displayed at city events and on city property, was designed by Kay Drew, who now serves as Clarksville Academy's headmaster.

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