The city's effort to celebrate its 100th anniversary of incorporation next year now has a logo thanks to the graphics talents of Daisy Villafan, a 17-year-old Central Valley High School graduate.
Daisy helped complete the Centennial Logo which will be used on all advertising materials, shirts and hats, and a special commemorative coin, in celebration of Ceres turning 100.
Villafan asked by Kari Copley, her high school art teacher, to assist with the logo project with only a few days' notice and used both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create the selected design.
A lifelong resident of Ceres, Daisy graduated this month with the special distinction of being chosen as the Outstanding Artist of 2017 by her art teachers. She only recently became interested in art, taking her first art class two years ago. Daisy's preferred medium is digital art, which came in handy when working on the Centennial Logo. She is considering a future career in art.
Commemorative coins, flags, a book, band performances and a string of events next year are some of the ideas a special committee has brainstormed to help Ceres celebrate the centennial of city incorporation.
Ceres was incorporated as a city on Feb. 25, 1918 and the committee has talked about celebrating over a season, kicking off in February and celebrating into the summertime with a special focus on participating in the 2018 Street Faire and Concerts in the Park.
The group is looking to see if any longtime Ceres residents will be turning 100 years old with the city next year and making them a part of the celebration.
The centennial will mark the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the city of Ceres although Ceres itself traces its founding back to 1869. The first recorded map of the town of Ceres was filed Feb. 20, 1875.
Ceres was incorporated as a city on March 4, 1918 and serving as the first mayor was S.W. Cartwright who served only a month and nine days until the first city election was held on April 8, 1918. Vaughn D. Whitmore beat out Cartwright by one vote to become Ceres' first elected mayor with 28 votes. Besides Whitmore and Cartwright elected to the first City Council were C.T. Haynes, J.U. Gartin and C.H. Sikes.
