COMPETITION BEGINS FOR DESIGN OF CAPE FLAGS

A Cape Girardeau city flag will serve as "a symbol of its unique place in the history of Missouri and in the history of the United States," Mayor Al Spradling III said Tuesday.

The flag will symbolize the city's rich heritage "for ourselves and our children and our past, because our past is just as important as our future," he said.

Spradling handed out the first entry packets for the contest to design a city flag to Cape Girardeau lawyer John Oliver, whose great-grandmother, Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver, designed the state flag, and to author Jean Bell Mosley. Mosley wrote a historic overview of the city included in the entry packets.

Vision 2000 and students from the Class of 2000 are coordinating the contest.

Deadline is Feb. 27 for all entries to be submitted, and contest coordinators hope the city's first-ever official flag will be unveiled June 10.

A panel of judges will narrow the field of entries to a manageable number, and those semi-finalists will be displayed for a public vote to choose the winners.

Entries are being accepted for two flags, said Julia Jorgensen, a Central High School teacher and one of the contest organizers.

Artists age 13 and up may submit designs for the official city flag, which will be flown at City Hall, city offices, local businesses and private homes.

Designs are also being accepted for a children's flag designed by artists 12 and under to be flown at local elementary schools, the public library and other "kid-friendly" sites.

Entry packets with contest guidelines and Mosley's overview of the city's history are available at the city manager's office, the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The competition is limited to residents of Cape Girardeau, and everyone is encouraged to submit a design.

FLAG CONTEST RULES

-- Entries are due by 5 p.m. Feb. 27, at the city manager's office in City Hall.

-- Entry packets with complete contest guidelines can be picked up at the city manager's office, the Public Library and the Convention and Visitors Bureau.

-- Artists 12 and under may submit designs for the children's flag. The contest for the official city flag is open to artists 13 and older.

-- Only Cape Girardeau residents may submit designs, and artists may only submit one design.

-- Only entries from individuals -- not groups, companies or classes -- will be accepted.

-- Entries must not have been published before in any form.

-- Winners will be notified by mail or phone by May 1. Unveiling of the winning flags is tentatively scheduled for June 10.

-- Entries will be submitted on poster board (size: 22 by 28 inches).

-- Any medium can be used as long as the design can be easily transformed into a flag.

-- All entries will become the property of the city of Cape Girardeau. Contestants must relinquish all rights to their designs to the city.

-- A panel of judges will choose a group of semi-finalists. The winners will be picked by public vote.

-- The artist's name must not appear in the design of the flag. Entry forms must be attached to the back of the design, either stapled or taped.