Editing Alliance, Ohio (section)

===The Carnation City===
Alliance is commonly referred to as the Carnation City, having been given that designation by the [[Ohio General Assembly]] in 1959.<ref name=lamborns>[http://www.rodmanlibrary.org/rpl/history/srp1973/srp-carnation.htm Dr. Lamborn's Carnations] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204033753/http://www.rodmanlibrary.org/rpl/history/srp1973/srp-carnation.htm |date=February 4, 2007 }}, Rodman Public Library website (accessed February 3, 2008)</ref> Alliance gave Ohio its official [[state flower]], the scarlet [[Dianthus caryophyllus|carnation]]. Alliance's association with the carnation began in 1866 when an Alliance doctor, Levi L. Lamborn, purchased six potted carnation plants to grow in a [[greenhouse]] at his house. At that time this flower was rarely cultivated in the United States. In 1876 Lamborn ran against [[William McKinley]] for the [[United States Congress|Congressional]] seat from this district. The two men were personal friends, although they were political opponents. McKinley had expressed his admiration for Lamborn's carnations, so before each of their [[political debate]]s Lamborn gave McKinley a carnation to wear on his lapel. Mr. McKinley won the election and associated the carnation with his success, and wore carnations during his successful campaigns for [[Governor of Ohio]] and then [[President of the United States]].<ref name=lamborns/>

In 1884, Lamborn suggested that Ohio should make the carnation a state emblem. In 1904, three years after [[William McKinley|President McKinley's]] [[Assassination of William McKinley|assassination]], the Ohio General Assembly designated the scarlet carnation as the official state flower as a "token of love and reverence to the memory of William McKinley". On January 29 of each year (President McKinley's birth anniversary), a bouquet of red carnations is placed in the hands of McKinley's statue at the Capitol in Columbus.<ref name=lamborns/>

Since 1960, Alliance has held an annual Carnation Festival during August.<ref name=carnation>[http://www.carnationfestival.com/ Greater Alliance Carnation Festival website]</ref>