If you’re like me, you’ve never once considered the possibility of a water tower being a calendar model.

Turns out, it’s a thing, and a Lexington County water tower is getting just that honor, as it was chosen as one of 12 finalists for the 2023 Tank of the Year Award presented by the Tnemec Company, which calls itself “a leading provider of high-performance coatings.”

The local entry didn’t win the award, as that honor went to another finalist in Bryan, Ohio, but as a finalist, it will be pictured in Tnemec’s annual water tank calendar alongside other finalists from Texas, New Mexico, Florida, Oklahoma, Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, South Dakota and Tennessee. There is also a second finalist from South Carolina, as the McLeod Park water tower in Florence also got the nod. The Palmetto State is the only one to have two finalists for this year’s award.

The local water tower in question sits near Lexington High School and is operated by Lexington County’s Joint Municipal Water and Sewer Commission. This summer, it was wrapped with a mural celebrating the school, Lake Murray and local farms.

“Overall, our team at Tnemec was blown away not only by the number of entries in this year’s Tank of the Year contest but also by all of the innovative and creative designs in this year’s pool of candidate tanks,” Brian Cheshire, Tnemec’s director of the water tank market, is quoted in a release. “The tanks in this year’s contest highlighted the hometown pride and overall ingenuity from many towns all across the United States and Canada.”

Hometown pride is certainly the idea with the design affixed to Lexington County’s newly built water tower.

The mural features a large Wildcat head (Lexington High’s mascot) nestled between a planted field and waters meant to represent Lake Murray, with the phrase "Wildcat Country" letting people who pass it know where they are.

“We always consider ourselves a central symbol of what Lexington is and we take a lot of pride and responsibility in serving a symbol for community,” Lexington High Principal Ryan Pool told the Chronicle this summer about the design they ended up with. “The water tower affirms that for us. The pride we felt also is felt by the local municipalities and community.”.

The design was created by Allan Anderson, an art teacher at the school, after surveys were sent out to students and staff to get their thoughts.

“We talk a lot about being a flagship school so the water tower is a great representation of that. It reminds us of our responsibility and opportunity to influence [everyone],” Pool added. 

Those wishing to request a 2024 Tank of the Year calendar can do so at tankoftheyear.com.