By Lauren Hansen
State symbol are imply to lay out the ethnical heritage and historical treasures of each of the land ’s 50 states . There are the obvious if unimaginative ones — flag , cachet , motto — and then there are the more hidden chemical group — state footwear , anyone ? While some of these items do make a lot of sense ( Texas ' Department of State footgear , for model , is , duh , the cowboy boot ) , others have a foggy connection to their respective states . Here , 13 of our favorites .
1. Rhode Island’s (proposed) official state appetizer: Calamari
Perhaps you ’re familiar with the conception of official state food ? Maybe you ’ve travel to Maryland and enjoyed their blue crabs , or have heard of Georgia ’s celebrated fresh Prunus persica ? Well , a Rhode Island legislator wants his modest ocean - side state to have an edible symbolisation all its own . Rep. Joseph McNamara trust his state should comprehend a signature starter , specifically calamari . McNamara says the fact that the state has the largest squid fishing fleet and that its chefs translate the lowly cephalopods into a uniquely tasty delicacy makes the bill a no - brainer . And naming an prescribed appetizer enter the door for so much more . " Who knows ? " he said . " We might go on to entrance next year . " Oklahoma , for its part , has alreadydesignated a whole state meal , consisting of fried okra , squash , cornbread , barbecue pork , cookie , sausage and gravy , gritrock , corn , strawberries , volaille fry steak , opprobrious - eyed peas , and , if you have elbow room for it , pecan pie .
2. Massachusetts' (proposed) official state rock song: “Roadrunner”
Massachusetts already has an prescribed folk Song dynasty ( Arlo Guthrie ’s " Massachusetts " ) and polka Song dynasty ( " Say Hello to Someone From Massachusetts " ) , but what ’s sorely missing is a capitulum - banging rock option . Well , Joyce Linehan — a former isthmus manager and campaigner for Sen. Elizabeth Warren — istrying to change that . With the documentation of Massachusetts Rep. Marty Walsh , Linehan begin campaigning in February for a measure that would name the ' 70s band Modern Lovers ' song " Roadrunner " the official province hard rock vocal . The song is about growing up in the Commonwealth and bedevil in several Boston references . The bill’sFacebook varlet , which is trying to reach 123,456 likes , is currently up to 1,805 .
3. Minnesota’s (proposed) official state poem: “Minnesota Blue”
look at the verse form ’s name , plus the fact that it bulge out and end with the verse line " Minnesota , how I love you , " Cordell Keith Haugen ’s homage to the Midwestern state might seem like a no - brainer . At least that ’s what Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson , who is backing the bill introduced in February , believes . But " Minnesota Blue " is a controversial pick , specially for popular Phyllis Kahn , who state the fact that Haugen , a Isaac Bashevis Singer / songster from Hawaii , is n’t actually a Minnesotan is " particularly offensive . " Good chance , " Minnesota Blue . "
4. Arizona’s official state firearm: Colt Single Action Army Revolver
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewerofficially madethe Colt Single Action Army Revolver the state of matter ’s firearm on April 28 , 2011 . The statute law get only months after the mass shooting in Tucson that closely killed then - congressman Gabrielle Giffords and leave six others dead . Supporters of the bill , which narrowly made it through the state House , read there was nothing wrong with honoring a small-arm ’s donation to the state ’s western heritage . " Arizona was founded by rugged individuals who took care of themselves and did so largely with a [ Colt ] on their hip,“said lobbyist Todd Rathner .
5. Kansas' (proposed) official state dog: Cairn terrier
During Dorothy ’s outlandish slip from Kansas to Oz and back again , her faithful companion Toto was everlastingly by her side . Which is why the loyal and adorable cairn terrier is at the centre of a banknote , backed by a state spokesperson andproposed in 2012 , to make the breed the state of matter ’s prescribed dog . And Kansans are quite open to the canine honor . In fact , back in 2006 , a local school teacher ’s petition earn thousands of signatures for a exchangeable visor , but in the remnant , lacked a supportive legislator . While the current bill is still in political limbo , supporter say the Toto dog is an indisputably good selection give that Kansas is already " forever linked " toThe Wizard of Oz .
6. Maryland’s official state sport: Jousting
Tourists may come to Maryland for the blue crabmeat , but it ’s the state ’s official sport — jousting — that has the really historic ties . While only destine in1962 , jousting tournaments have been hold in Maryland since former compound time . While competitors , still refer to as " knights " and " maids , " no longer get their fine - tilted fizgig at each other , the men and women shoot a horse at full - gallop through an 80 - one thousand course toward suspend gang in attempt to " spear up " the loops , scoring points accordingly . But jousting easily watch its back , as fans of Duckpin bowling are raging on its medieval cad . proprietor of the commonwealth ’s approximately 50 duckpin bowling bowling alley are petitioning to make their sport — which is similar to bowling , only with a small ball — the state of matter ’s prescribed interest . supporter point out that the sportsman was actually cook up in Baltimore and Maryland is , " without question , the Mecca of duckpin bowling . "
7. North Carolina’s official state popular dance: The shag
Several nation in reality have an official state dance — Hawaii has the hula , for case — but only a few have two . North Carolina is one such lucky and apparently rhythmical state . In 2005 , the General Assembly passed a bill make the official folk dance clogging — a Gaelic derivative developed in the Southern Appalachian Mountains and selected because of its " discrete , dignified , and beautiful footwork . " The same bill acknowledged the officialpopulardance as the screw , which is a variety of swinging trip the light fantastic toe that some believe develop on the Carolina beach during the 1940s .
8. Maine’s official state soft drink: Moxie
The preference of Moxie is n’t for everyone . It start out with a intimate nose drops , like Pepsi or root beer , but quickly takes on a medical relish with banker’s bill of wintergreen and bitters , cease rather strongly with a dry bitter not unlike vermouth . Even after the first or 2nd taste , you might feel the urge to spit it out . But with patience , even the newly initiated will come to realise the soft drink is " the beverage of epicurean . " And the beverage is without a doubt the choice of Mainers . The carbonated refreshment in the shiny orange promotion is unique to the Northeast . Concocted in the 1870s by a Dr. in Union , Maine , the beverage went on to outsell Coca - Cola in the early 1900s . The beak making Moxie the United States Department of State ’s prescribed gentle drink passed in 2005 , and says the very name " represent spirit and braveness , " virtues prise by true Mainer .
9. Illinois' official state dirt: Drummer
The Land of Lincoln is actuallyflush with state symbols , from bite solid food ( popcorn ) to amphibian ( easterly Panthera tigris stove poker ) . But in 2001 , the Illinois General Assembly labor deeply to find a new allegory , and nem con approved a bill establishing an official state stain — Drummer silty corpse loam . Why , you might ask ? admirer say they hope the prescribed designation will make resident more aware of the connection between the state ’s farming economy and the soil that makes such achiever possible . " territory is of the essence to our state ’s history , our quality of lifetime , and our hereafter , " says Bill Gradle , the country environmentalist . While few would be capable to key Drummer from regular one-time dirt , the official stain is actually the body politic ’s most common , get across about 1.5 million Acre , and is peculiarly suit to growing the United States Department of State ’s most valuable airfield crop — corn and soybeans . And Illinois is n’t alone in acknowledging the earth . At least 20other land have similar honors , including Wisconsin and Florida .
10. Missouri’s official state dinosaur: The Hypsibema
The Hypsibema missouriense is a type of herbivore distinguished by its duck’s egg - billed question . Within that strong jaw are more than 1,000 teeth that develop over clip to handle tough , stringy vegetation . The dinosaur wasnative to Missouriduring the Late Cretaceous Period and its fossils were first discovered in 1942 by Dan Stewart near the township of Glen Allen , Mo. The plant - corrode wolf was take over by Missouri as its nation dino on July 9 , 2004 . There are onlysix other statesthat have take particular prehistorical brute as their own .
11. Wisconsin’s official state microbe: The Lactococcus lactis
On the surface , Wisconsin ’s 2010 nomination of a microbe may seem like a mockery of country authorities ’s favour of minutiae over movement . However , the Lactococcus lactis is n’t your mean germ . The hardworking bacteria is used to make cheddar , Colby , and Monterey Jack cheeses and is " an obscure hero sandwich " of the Carry Amelia Moore Nation ’s No . 1 high mallow - producing state .
12. New Mexico’s official state question: “Red or green?”
New Mexico really got down to the emblematic nitty gritty when , in 1996 , the legislature passed a House Joint Memorial declaring " Red or green ? " as the official state head . The options refers to the red or unripened chilies aboriginal to New Mexican cuisine , and is the enquiry most often heard in local restaurant . chilly are the State Department ’s top cash crop , and the acceptation of the peculiar interrogation recognise the pod ’s historical grandness . Unsurprisingly , New Mexico is the only state to have such a appellation .
13. Mississippi’s official state toy: The Teddy bear
Mississippi wanted to cinch its connection to the extraction story of the Teddy bear , andpassed a bill in 2002making it the state ’s official toy dog . The story , in case you ’re wondering , goes like this : In 1902 , President Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Mississippi for a hunting despatch during which the president refused to fool away a helpless bear as it would be unsportsmanlike . Soon after , a New York plaything company labeled a block miniature bear " Teddy ’s bear , " instituting the cuddlesome transcript as a childhood favorite for 10 to add up . Mississippi is really the only country with an official toy , though Pennsylvania has a offer bill that would make the Slinky its official state toy .
Sources : The Baltimore Sun , CBS Local , Fox News , HuffingtonPost , The New York Times , Reuters , State Symbols USA , TwinCities.com , USA Today
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