PENNSYLVANIA — The state already has an official fossil. Why not an official whiskey?
Sen. Camera Bartolotta, a Pittsburgh-area Republican, plans to introduce legislation that would establish rye whisky as the state’s official spirit.
“Rye whiskey has deep roots in our state’s history,” Bartolotta wrote in a recent memo to colleagues seeking support for the proposed bill.
“Long before Kentucky bourbon rose to prominence, Pennsylvania distillers were defining the American whiskey tradition with bold, spicy rye. That legacy continues today, as craft distillers across the commonwealth are once again producing exceptional rye whiskeys using local grain and traditional.”
Bartolotta noted that the Whiskey Rebellion that took place in Pennsylvania in 1794 and the city of Washington PA annually holds a festival to recognize the event’s significance.
Whether Bartolotta’s proposal would be the strangest state symbol if approved is a matter of debate.
An obvious candidate to top it would be the Trilobite (Phacops rana), which was designated Pennsylvania’s state fossil of Pennsylvania in 1988. According to StateSymbolsUSA.org, an elementary school science class campaigned for the prehistoric invertebrate that lived in Pennsylvania more than 250 million years ago.
If not the fossil, than what about the official state insect?
Pennsylvania designated the firefly its preferred insect in 1974. Copycats in Tennessee followed with the same designation a year later.
What’s odd about the official state colors of blue and gold? Perhaps the fact that color combo is absent from the state’s new license plates, which feature hues of blue and red.
Music lovers will be happy to know that Pennsylvania has an official state song. Designated as the official state song in 1990, the tune appropriately enough is titled “Pennsylvania.”
Some of its lyrics:
“Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania,
Mighty is your name,
Steeped in glory and tradition,
Object of acclaim.
Where brave men fought the foe of freedom,
Tyranny decried,
‘Til the bell of independence
filled the countryside.”
If you’re demanding to know what the official state plant is, you are no shrinking violet. It’s Penngift Crownvetch, which PennDOT has planted on various roads throughout Pennsylvania.
Other official state symbols of note:
Animal: White-tailed deer Fish: Brook TroutDog: Great Dane Aircraft: Piper A-3 CubFirearm: Pennsylvania Long Rifle