It could be a boy named Zenith.
It could be a girl tagged Angel.
It could be a business licensed as “Miracle Workers Inc.”
It could be a new car hitting the market as the GSD 1 (Gas Savers Delight).
It could be a county called Heaven.
But today we speak of cities. Our city. Or perhaps better worded, it is our community. Cleveland and Bradley County are not one in the same. But we are one hometown.
Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland wants his city to have a nickname, one that tells the story of our people, our heritage and our way of life. He wants it to be a stamp, one that reflects the very meaning of what it’s like to live in Cleveland.
Other communities have done it.
Other communities have succeeded in its doing.
Other communities are now well recognized for their efforts.
We can cite several examples as described recently by the mayor. In most cases, Cleveland and Bradley County area residents are quite familiar with them.
One of the most notable, and we applaud their insight, can be found with our good neighbor to the north in McMinn County. As most here know, Athens is “The Friendly City.”
Here are a few more.
Chattanooga is “The Scenic City.”
Knoxville is “The Dogwood City.”
Nashville is “The Music City.”
New Orleans is “The Crescent City.”
In other cases, communities are recognized as “The Home Of ... ” or “The Capital Of ... ”
In his understandable zeal to tag our town with an appropriate label, the mayor is reaching out to the people who know our community best — our residents.
And so it is.
Informally dubbed the “What’s in a Name?” contest, Cleveland area residents are being asked to submit their ideas. A committee of community enthusiasts has accepted the think-tank challenge of sorting through the hundreds ... perhaps thousands? ... of submissions. The creator of the winning selection will receive a $1,000 prize and the honor of being recognized as the idea’s originator.
It is a grand concept filled with an even greater potential ... that of being sheer down-to-earth fun.
Got ideas?
Don’t forget them! Go ahead and write them down and submit them either through conventional mail or by email.
Mailed submissions may be addressed to the Office of the Mayor, Cleveland Municipal Building, 190 Church St. N.E., Cleveland, TN 37311.
Emailed entries may be forwarded to szius@cityofclevelandtn.com.
Volunteers have already lined up to support the cause. Nine area residents have been picked to serve on the selection committee which appropriately will be chaired by Melissa Woody, vice president of the Convention & Visitor’s Bureau for the Cleveland-Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
Several businesses immediately pledged support to create the cash prize. They include Pioneer Credit, Brenda Lawson and Associates, Don Ledford Automotive of Cleveland, Logan-Thompson PC, Bender Realty, Ed Jacobs and Associates, Wacker Polysilicon North America, Bank of Cleveland and Jones Management. State Rep. Kevin Brooks is serving as a prize co-sponsor as well.
We urge community residents to submit your ideas.
Don’t be shy.
No idea is a bad one and all will be considered.
What’s in a name?
We’ll let our hometown decide.
