By Jill Hanning
Enquirer contributor

LEBANON _ It's time to blow the dust off the old cedar branches. The city is changing its image.

New Lebanon logo deletes plow.

A new city logo featuring a sleeker outline of its trademark cedar tree will be phased in over the next few years, said Karen Patton, marketing and media relations coordinator. The logo will be seen around town on city vehicles, shirts, mugs, business cards, letterhead, even on the Columbus Avenue water tower when it is repainted in the fall.

"We wanted something that was modern, but not scary," said City Manager Pat Clements. "Something that would not be gimmicky, would hold up over time and address the historic character of the city."

Patton and designer Jon Wanamaker conceived the new logo together over three months and about 15 different designs.

"The final result was what I'd always had in mind, but it was hard putting it on paper," Patton said. "But we always stayed with the tree concept."

The old city seal, which Patton said began to be used around 1964, featured the cedar tree and a plow.

"Where's the plow?" Councilman James Hause asked at a recent City Council work session, when the logo was unveiled. "The plow has been replaced by technology," answered Clements.