Sagebrush, Pine Cones call the shots

Most cities that hold a nominating convention use simple nicknames to distinguish different parties. Fruit Heights is a notable exception, using the tongue-in-cheek names "Sagebrush" and "Pine Cones."

The names were selected sometime in the late 1950s, during Forest Barker's tenure as mayor. When the city switched to the nominating system, one prospective candidate joked that his party should be called Sagebrush because of the area in which he lived.

Barker countered with the name Pine Cones, because he "lived among the pines." The names have since stuck, fulfilling a goal to have the conventions be nonpartisan. The city wanted to avoid having the parties be associated with traditional party names: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and such.

Still, it's inevitable that one party will be more liberal or conservative than another, said Barker. But it all depends on the candidates. Each year, those labels could apply to a different party.