Trying to sort through official symbols of intrigue

Don Coble

Our state has such a sweet tooth we now have an official state dessert and a state pie. Strawberry shortcake became our dessert on July 1, joining key lime pie as the official pie, which earned its designation in 2006.

For me, it’s impossible to pick just one, so I will honor both. It’s my duty as a resident.

At the same time, I’m thankful I’m not in Nebraska, where Kool-Aid is the official beverage. And if you need another reason to consider Indiana boring, that state’s official drink is water.

If you dig deep enough, you can find a lot of quirky symbols states like to embrace.

For example, Louisana is the only state with an official doughnut – the beignet – and Tennessee has 10 official state songs, including “Tennessee Waltz” and “Rocky Top,”

Did you know John Denver performed two songs that became state symbols – “Take Me Home, Country Road” for West Virginia and “Rocky Mountain High” for Colorado?

Despite being home to Whitney Houston, Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, New Jersey is the only state that doesn’t have a state song. Wouldn’t s“Born to Run” liven up any state gathering?

And you can’t make this up: “Hang on Sloopy” by the McCoys is the official song of Ohio.

Massachusetts has seven state songs, all divided by genre. “Say Hello to Someone in Massachusetts” represents Polkas and “The Great State of Massachusetts” is for glee clubs. Oddly enough, the Bee Gees’ “Massachusetts” didn’t make the list. Maybe it’s because they’re from Redcliffe, Australia, and don’t eat wicked clam bellies.

While we’re at it, none of the top three performers from Tennessee sing country music songs. Even with Nashville being the home of the country industry, No. 1-selling artist Anna Mae Bullock – also known as Tina Turner – was born in Brownsville. Second-place Miley Cyrus is from Franklin, followed by Memphis’ Justin Timberlake in third.

The top-selling country star is Kenny Chesney of Knoxville at No. 4. Before you say Elvis Presley, remember he was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.

In case you were wondering, according to Brilliant Maps, the Backstreet Boys are the top-selling artists from Florida, while Jim Morrison’s The Doors are second and Tom Petty is third.

Meanwhile, Vermont lists maple as its official flavor, and California’s official fabric is denim.

One great way to win a couple of dollars in a bet is to ask someone to identify the two official mascots of Auburn University. No, they’re wrong. It’s not Tigers and War Eagles. It’s Tigers and Plainsmen. War Eagle is the battle cry, not the mascot.

However, it should be no surprise that chili is the official food of Texas and coal is the official rock of West Virginia.

State nicknames often don’t match the facts, either.

What seemed odd at first is peach pie is considered the official dessert of Delaware. Then you learn California, South Carolina and New Jersey each grow more peaches than Georgia, the Peach State.

Although Nebraska is known as the Cornhusker State, more corn is grown in Iowa and Illinois. Louisiana has more alligators, and California has more oranges than Florida. But on the flip side, Florida has the most golf courses (more than 1,250) than any other state, and we’re essentially tied with California for the most pickleball courts (the numbers change daily).

Speaking of pickleball, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, biking and running are the only two sports with greater participation rates for adults. And since you can burn as many as 350 calories in a 30-minute game, you can burn a big piece of strawberry shortcake and a slice of key lime pie at the same time.