page_title: Citizens Republic Bancorp
section_title: Weatherball
hierarchical_section_title: Citizens Republic Bancorp / Citizens Banking Building / Weatherball
caption_attribution_description: English: The Citizens Bank Weather Ball atop the Citizens Bank Building in Flint, Michigan.
context_page_description: Citizens Republic Bancorp was an American bank headquartered in Flint, Michigan that merged with FirstMerit Bank in 2013. Citizens Republic Bancorp operates in the states of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin under the FirstMerit Bank name. On September 13, 2012, it completed a merger agreement with FirstMerit Bank of Akron, Ohio. As of April 13, 2013, it became a subsidiary of the FirstMerit Corporation. The merger finalized on June 13, 2013. FirstMerit merged with Huntington Bancshares in 2016.
context_section_description: The symbol of the bank is the weatherball located atop its headquarters in downtown Flint and was built in 1956. Currently it is lettered for Huntington Bank.
  The Weather Ball on the bank headquarters was first illuminated August 30, 1956. A poem explaining the weather meaning behind the ball's colors. In 1964, a Citizens Bank jingle was crafted by Jackie Bowles from the poem, with small alternation to the words, and set to Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase music. The ball is a regular beacon in the city except from 1974 until January 1, 1978, when it was turned off during the 1970s energy crisis. The weatherball was officially re-lettered for FirstMerit Bank in November 2013. The original "CB" letters were removed and were supposedly going to be put in the Sloan Museum in Flint, Michigan. Unfortunately, because of their poor condition due to their age, they had to be recycled. The "CB" initials underneath were made of neon piping for the letters with a metal, reflective backing behind the neon letters, and the letters were mounted on square porcelain plates.
  The Weather Ball was operated by Citizens Republic Bancorp based on National Weather Service forecasts, and is still operated the same way. The Weather Ball’s construction materials include 800 square feet of Plexiglas and 667 feet of lighting tubing. The Weather Ball can be seen for 25 miles and is designed to withstand winds of up to 120 mph.
  Weight: 2.5 tons
  Height: 15 feet
  Diameter: 15 feet
  Circumference: 47 feet.
caption: The southern tower of Citizens Banking Building in Flint, Michigan. The aging CB letters have since been replaced first with FM for FirstMerit, then with HB for Huntington Bank.
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