Why did Zion adopt the Zinnia as its flower?

On March 20, 2018, the Zion City Council voted to make the Zinnia the Zion Flower to beautify the neighborhoods and entice residents to participate in a healthy activity. (see attached resolution, video (on Zion Together Website) and newspaper clippings) It was sparked by “Lilacs in Lombard”. Upon returning from a Zion Park District Senior Trip in 1999, bus driver Cheri Neal began researching flowers that the Zion community could embrace and showcase. She found that the Zinnia came in every size from tiny to huge, and in a wide variety of colors, a perfect a symbol to represent Zion’s unique diversity. Additionally, Zinnias represent Joy! What better to plant in a community than Joy? The effort has grown with the new goal of making Zion the Zinnia Capital!