1273 State Symbol

Recently I had the pleasure of volunteering to staff the Visitor Information Center. It used to be the Capital Visitor Center but the state cut funding, so now it’s run by the Visitor Convention Bureau.
I was killing time looking through the pamphlets and I came upon one that had a listing of all our state symbols. You know, like our state flower is the Coast Rhododendron.
Our state fruit is the apple. Our state song is “Washington My Home” and our state “folk” song is “Roll On, Columbia, Roll on.”
As far as I could tell, we don’t have a state “rock” song, although “Smells Like Teen Spirit” oughta be a contender. Poor Aberdeen. They should qualify as “state city that made the most unfortunate business choices.”
First the dying fishing industry, then the dying lumber industry. Then Curt Cobain.
By the way, did you know we actually have state fossil? No, it’s not Ralph Munro, although with his great sense of humor he’d happily claim the title.
No, it’s the Columbia Mammoth. Interesting...the State Gem, which is petrified wood, also is best seen on the banks of the Columbia, at the Gingko Petrified Forest near Vantage.
All this Columbia stuff, it’s a surprise “Washington” actually won out over it as our state, um, name.
So is our state dance some Columbia river dance thing? No. The state dance is the square dance.
Apparently, the “mashed potato” was taken by Idaho.
It’s great we actually have a state dance, but I’m a little concerned. Do you have to do the state dance to the state song? Because trust me, square dancing to “Washington My Home” would be like a slow dance in a rest home.
Folks would be moving pokier than a petrified pachyderm.
America, ya gotta love it.