Gainesville city officials and local business leaders gathered Thursday morning on the downtown Gainesville square to commemorate the naming of a recently-installed sculpture in front of the Gainesville Renaissance building.
The sculpture's name, "Unity Flame," was submitted by Shaye Mullican and was selected from over 400 entries in a contest conducted by Doug and Kay Ivester and WDUN. Mullican's name was included on a plaque placed in front of the sculpture.
She said it was exciting to see her name attached to the Gainesville square.
"It's a little weird, but it's awesome," Mullican said. "It's just such a beautiful sculpture, and to have my name tied to it is just an honor."
Mullican was also presented with a check for $2,000 from Doug and Kay Ivester that will be given to the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club, which was the non-profit that Mullican chose to have the money given to.
"I've been a member of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club for about five years now, and I've just grown to love it and everything they do for the community," Mullican said. "They've got such a rich history with the 1996 Olympics being held there. They've really kept that legacy alive."
Doug Ivester spoke at Thursday's ceremony, saying the name "Unity Flame" is a fitting one for the square.
"I love the idea of the flame, because it's got the Olympics history associated with it and the use of unity is perfect for the times we're living in today. To me, it was the perfect name," Ivester said. "I let WDUN and the Jacobs family handle the selection, but I loved what they came up with."
Executive Vice President and General Manager of Jacobs Media, Bill Maine, also spoke at the ceremony and said the number of responses to the contest was a testament to the Gainesville community.
"It shows that our community is interested in doing something that not only can benefit them by being able to name the sculpture, but more importantly benefit the community and have a bigger impact," Maine said.
