Ocean View’s seaside history is front-and-center in the design for a proposed new specialty license plate.
Larry Estes, director of the Ocean View Station Museum, submitted the winning entry for the design contest celebrating the neighborhood.
Delegate Phil Hernandez announced the winner Thursday. Estes' submission was selected from over 150 entries submitted by residents, students and local artists.
The design blends elements of both historic and modern Ocean View. It features a mermaid, crabs, a beach scene and the roller coaster from the Ocean View Amusement Park, which entertained residents and visitors for more than seven decades before closing in 1978.
According to Hernandez, a small leprechaun in the corner of the design also pays tribute to Ocean View's St. Patrick's Day parade.
A biplane flying above a warship in the background references a significant moment in naval aviation history. In November 1910, pilot Eugene Ely became the first pilot in the U.S. to take off from a warship, departing from the USS Birmingham and landing minutes later on Willoughby Spit.
A committee of seven Ocean View community members, including Hernandez and Norfolk councilman Tommy Smigiel, selected the winning design. Hernandez noted that the final vote was not especially close.
"There was a strong attraction to this design, and I think that’s partly due to its celebration of both the old and the new,” he said.
Estes said he jumped for joy and shouted when he learned he had won. He intends to celebrate the license plate during next year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.
"My entry was full of stubborn pencil marks, but I felt it had something to it and sent it just minutes before the deadline," Estes said. "I still worried it didn't have much of a chance against more polished entries, but the unique raw charm of OV spirit prevailed."
But the license plate is still just a concept, for now.
Over the next few months, Estes will collaborate with a graphic designer to adapt the design to the format required by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
Then, at least 450 drivers need to submit prepaid applications to demonstrate interest in purchasing the plate.
Hernandez hopes to clear those hurdles before the General Assembly convenes in January. He plans to introduce legislation at that time and aims for the plate to enter production next year.
Residents interested in requesting the plate can register online using this form.
