Gregoire picks state quarter...
Gregoire picks state quarter
Design choice disappoints apple growers
ASSOCIATED PRESS This design was chosen by Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire Thursday for Washington's official state quarter.
CURT WOODWARD
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OLYMPIA - Gov. Chris Gregoire stuck with the people's choice for the flip side of Washington state's commemorative quarter on Thursday, but the selection left the state's famed apple growers feeling a bit bruised.
Gregoire unveiled an oversized version of the design - a lively looking salmon leaping in front of a conifer-trimmed Mount Rainier - to a chorus of "Ohhhhhh" and applause from students at Olympia's Centennial Elementary School.
The first-term Democrat said she felt the image, also the favorite in an online opinion poll, was the best showcase for two of the state's most notable symbols. It also incorporates "The Evergreen State" as a slogan.
"I think it's important that we have something natural. We are really a state that thinks much of our natural heritage," Gregoire said.