There are those big banner birthdays that are hard to get around, the ones that have a zero at the end – you know the ones. Try as COVID-19 may have liked to stop the hands of time, Surry County still had its 250th anniversary and then marched right on to the next anniversary as well.
Over the past two years there have been graduations, weddings, and all manner of events affected by the pandemic and, sadly, there were plans that got scrapped altogether that could not be rescheduled, those opportunities lost to the vicious virus.
Plans that had been designed to celebrate the sestercentennial, or the 250th anniversary, of Surry County, had to be put on hold too as the virus began its march around the globe. Now, as the world wearily looks to gauge if we may be approaching the end of the pandemic, aspects of life are bending back toward normal.
The masks have mostly disappeared, the Final Fours tip-off this weekend, the trickle of remote workers returning to their desks continues, in-person worship, and even up close and personal encounters at awards shows have resumed.
Of course, exceptions will remain, and some businesses may choose their own standards, but it seems people have grown accustomed to the potential dangers from the virus and precautions are now primarily left to the individual’s own decision making.
As the rates of infection and hospitalization across the United States continue their downward trend, Surry County is preparing to ramp back up sestercentennial events eloquently dubbed Surry 250 that were shelved due to the global health crisis.
Kate Rauhauser-Smith, history column contributor to the Mount Airy News, has in previous years wished the county a happy birthday on April 1. She provided the lesson that Gov. William Tryon signed the bill creating Surry County in January 1771. However, law required the act to be published and announced in various public places for a period of three months before it was enacted on the first day of April.
Part of the sestercentennial celebration will be to honor Jerry Atkins and Melvin T. Jackson for their creations from the American Bicentennial celebrations of 1976 that still adorn the likes of the Surry County Courthouse and all county documents.
In the fall of 1974, the Surry County Board of Commissioners authorized the Surry County American Revolution Bicentennial Commission to conduct a contest to select an official flag and seal for the county.
Jerry Atkins submitted the winning seal design, and Melvin Jackson won the flag design contest, “at the time we had neither,” Jackson recalls. The notice in the Mount Airy News for the contest noted a prize was to be awarded and he remembers, “I think we got a $50 savings bond.”
The tricolor Surry County flag design from Jackson carries the date of 1770, which represents the date of the act that formed Surry County which Gov. Tryon then signed in to law the next year. The original submission of the flag design is found in both the physical archives of Surry Community College, and their extensive collection of county artifacts online.
Atkins designed for Surry County’s seal a gold backdrop with “The Great Seal of Surry County” around its circumference. An outline of the county contains a picture of Pilot Mountain, a block of granite, a tobacco leaf, and a spool off thread with a gear.
Atkins chose those design elements not by accident as the granite block and Pilot Mountain Knob were chosen for their relevance to the area’s beauty and economy. The gear and spool of thread he said symbolize the area’s rich history in textiles and manufacturing. Finally, the tobacco he chose for his own family’s connection to the crop that was the cornerstone of many Surry County farms.
“When I saw his flag design, I knew it would win. He was proud of the flag,” Atkins said of his teacher. Being able to spot a winner, he hitched his horse to that cart, “When I saw his flag, I knew I should include it in the seal.”
Now years later, the seal and flag are approaching a milestone – their own 50th birthday. “I am happy that Jerry Atkins is finally getting recognized for his work,” he said of his reaction to seeing the flag still visible. “It is long overdue,” the teacher said as he deflected attention back toward his former student, his sense of pride in his student’s accomplishment still on display.
Atkins feels similarly “tickled” that the seal is still in use and that his design may have inspired elements of Mount Airy’s seal. After so much time, both men were thankful that their designs still garner attention and that they will be recognized by the county commissioners at a meeting for their work.
The sestercentennial events that were shelved such as a lecture series and the Surry 250 Bus Tour around historical sites of the county are being reworked now, and county public information officer Nathan Walls said when dates are finalized, word will be disseminated.
All that remains is to wish Surry County a happy birthday: you do not look a day over 230.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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