Cedar Park Unveils First Official City Flag During Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony

CEDAR PARK, TX — City officials unveiled the new Cedar Park flag during the city's annual holiday tree lighting on Friday evening. And you might say that X marks the spot.

The new flag was unfurled from atop a 100-foot fire engine ladder amid a flurry of sparklers before a gathering of about 2,000 residents. The flag design was the culmination of a community-wide call for entries to design a flag for the city launched in April.

The unveiling came during the city's 18th Annual Holiday Tree Lighting and Santa's Workshop, a focal community point for Cedar Park residents.

Members of the community answered the call for entries of flag designs. More than 250 submissions were received from the gamut of citizenry, from professional graphic designers to elementary students. In the end, it was a design by Cedar Park resident Catherine Van Arnam which was adopted as the basis for the city's first official flag.

Van Arnam's design incorporates recurring elements, colors and symbols with which Cedar Park identifies.

As for the actual design, it consists of a blue rectangle, another green rectangle and a white line with four Xs running across it. The blue rectangular the bucolic creeks running through the city, welcoming early settlers who found a land in which they were able to thrive, city officials said.

The green rectangle is a reference to the city's abundant natural park lands and growth in general: "Growth in the ability to enjoy life in Cedar Park, as well as growth in Cedar Park's children and schools, and growth of Cedar Park's economic prosperity," city officials explained.

The four Xs represent the four names the area has held in its history: Running Brushy, Buttercup, Brueggerhoff, and now, Cedar Park. The white line represents transportation, including the railroad that runs through Cedar Park as well as Bell Boulevard and Whitestone Boulevard, officials said. Together, the white line with four Xs also reference the once-ubiquitous barbed wire which drove one of Cedar Park’s very first industries: cedar fence posts.

That latter element is a nod to Texas independence and and its pioneering spirit still represented in Cedar Park, safeguarding both the tangible and the intangible: Property, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, city officials said.

The breadth of submissions for flag designs spoke to the community spirit in Cedar Park, and the fondness residents have for the place they call home, Mayor Matt Powell told the crowd.

“We received so many great and thoughtful submissions," he said. "We saw fantastic artwork, we read incredible descriptions, but most importantly, we found out in so many instances what Cedar Park really means to all of you."

Van Arnam expressed gratitude at being chosen as the winning designer. She expounded on her own civic pride as a resident of Cedar Park.

“My family and I are so thrilled and honored to be part of this moment in the history of our cherished Cedar Park,” Van Arnam said. “Cedar Park is an amazing place to live, work and play. I hope people are inspired to remember our history, what makes us so wonderful today, and what will continue to help us thrive in the future when they see this flag flying proudly.”

The new Cedar Park flag will be on display at municipal facilities and H-E-B Center at Cedar Park early next week, officials said. Smaller versions of the new flag as well as promotional items will be on-hand, and community members will be able to purchase flag apparel and other flag merchandise online early next week as well, officials said.

So what do you think of your new flag, Cedar Park residents? Feel free to express your views in the comments section below.

>>> Image courtesy of City of Cedar Park