The Official State Blog of Georgia
Posted on January 30, 2004 @ 2:52 pm
With the state of Georgia all over the news today for its proposed banning of the word “evolution” from the statewide science curriculum, this seems like an opportune time to share a bit of background on the Peach State for those who haven’t had a chance to visit it for themselves. For what it’s worth, all of the following information was gleaned from an “official Georgia state symbols” poster that hangs in our graduate lounge at school.
For all you amateur ornithologists out there, the official State Bird of Georgia is the brown thrasher. Meanwhile, if horticulture is more your bag, the official State Flower is the Cherokee rose. The official State Crop, not surprisingly, is the peanut. Seems straightforward enough, no? Well, if the peanut is your official State Crop, you obviously need an official State Peanut Statue, right? Well, it just so happens that you can find just such a statue in lovely Ashburn, Georgia.
From there, the official state symbols take a decided turn for the bizarre. For instance, the official State Marine Mammal of Georgia is the majestic right whale, and the official State Reptile is the noble gopher tortoise. The official State Seashell? Why, it’s the knobbed whelk. Curiously enough, Georgia also boasts an official State Possum — the adorable (and presumably non-rabid) Pogo.
Moving on from the life sciences to earth science, the official State Mineral of Georgia is staurolite, a metamorphic mineral which I’m told is rather useful to geologists in determining the degree of metamorphism (whatever that means). Can’t find your way to Atlanta? The official State Atlas of Georgia is, surprisingly enough, The Atlas of Georgia.
Perhaps you’re a man or woman of the arts and would like to attend the offiical State Folklife Play, Swamp Gravy. Sounds appetizing, eh? Speaking of which, perhaps you’re in the mood for some good barbeque. If so, you might want to check out the official State Beef Cook Off, Shoot the Bull. If that doesn’t suit your tastes, perhaps the Slosheye Trail Big Pig Jig — the official State Pork Cook Off — would be more to your liking.
Finally, it’s worth noting that while there’s no official State Food of Georgia (assuming the poster I referenced is comprehensive), there is an official State Processed Food. Yep, you guessed it: grits.
In conclusion, I hope that this brief introduction to Georgia’s official state symbols will bring everyone up to speed on the rich and varied traditions of the state. If nothing else, perhaps we can all hope that the Georgia state legislature will be too busy voting on new state symbols to get around to banning the teaching of evolution should such a bill eventually come before the General Assembly. After all, how could you explain the anthropomorphic marsupial that serves as the official State Possum without evolution?
Posted by Jess | Filed Under In the News |
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