A dancing lobster, Chuck Norris, and lots of trees: Take a look at the rejected Maine flag designs – The Boston Globe

Created by Gardiner architect Adam Lemire, the design beat out entries from nearly every state (and abroad), ranging from the “clearly not serious,” as one person put it, to the more elaborate.

In November, residents will decide whether they want to make Lemire’s design the official state flag in a statewide ballot measure.

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows organized the contest this summer after the state Legislature passed “An Act to Restore the Former State of Maine Flag” last year.

The legislation held that the redesign “must be buff, charged with the emblem of the state, a pine tree proper, in the center, and the North Star, a mullet of 5 points, in blue in the upper corner.”

The contest and upcoming referendum follows years of debate and attempts by lawmakers to readopt the original flag, Bellows said.

Many have criticized the current state flag, which replaced the first after eight years, saying it is too crowded and bears too many similarities to others, such as Vermont’s. The same color blue as the American flag, it features the state coat of arms, a pine tree flanked by a farmer and a seaman, and the motto “Dirigo,” meaning, “I lead,” in Latin.

Since Maine’s bicentennial in 2020, the old-school design has seen a resurgence in popularity — appearing on items such as tees and tote bags, as well as a simpler version on flags created by the Maine Flag Company in Portland.

“When you drive the coast of Maine, you will often see, waving at people’s dooryards, flags with a pine tree and a North Star,” Bellows said. “That’s a nod to our heritage, but also a design that a lot of Mainers just think is cool.”

Yet like many issues nowadays, whether to replace the flag has become a proxy for the culture wars, with those favoring the status quo — mostly Republicans — bemoaning fading traditions.

(Massachusetts has also tried — and failed — to replace its own controversial flag.)

But Bellows, whose office was charged with approving a model design that she will send to the state’s National Guard to use for official purposes, said she doesn’t see it that way.

“In these challenging times, people are really seeking community. Our symbols, like our state flag, bring people together. The decision on Question 5 … is a question without politics,” she said. “It’s really one of personal taste and design. It’s a fun question that brings some community and identity and unity, potentially, to our state.”

Her office initially considered a longer process for the flag redesign, as Minnesota and Utah have done, but opted for the contest given the tight deadline with the referendum, she said.

The proposed designs varied from the “very serious to the amusing,” she said.

Moose, lobsters, pine cones, the Maine coastline, and yes, Norris of “Walker, Texas Ranger” fame (but no immediately apparent connection to the state) were among the unsuccessful designs.

The “most fun” designs were those “clearly done by kids,” Bellows said.

“It made me so happy that there were some kids who wanted to participate,” she said. “I sent a thank-you note to everyone who participated via email, and one of the Moms wrote back and said, ‘My 10-year-old son is a budding vexillologist. He loves flags.’ And that just made me so happy.”

Bellows and her team selected 10 finalists, which were brought to an advisory panel that included Democratic and Republican lawmakers and community advisors. They used software to see how the designs would look as flags waving in the wind and as small lapel pins. In the end, Lemire’s design emerged victorious.

He told Bellows that his final design was based on an Eastern white pine in Augusta’s Viles Arboretum that he saw while taking walks with his son.

He worked on it for a while and submitted it as his wife was in labor, Bellows said.

“Her due date happened to coincide with our deadline for the flag design contest,” she said. “So it was really delightful to meet him and his partner.”

A future nursery decoration, perhaps? “I think so for sure,” Bellows said with a laugh.

Take a look at all of the rejected submissions:

Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98.