News Releases for August 2006
August 30, 2006
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North Dakota Quarter Officially Launched
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven along with U.S. Mint Acting Director David Lebryk today officially launched the North Dakota quarter in a ceremony at the Bismarck Civic Center. The launch ceremony, which was attended by more than 1,500 schoolchildren from across the state, showcased North Dakota talent with performances by the Medora Musical singers, The Cannonball Drum Group and a history lesson from President Theodore Roosevelt, portrayed by Clay Jenkinson.
"From our first inhabitants to the Corps of Discovery and beyond, North Dakota truly has a legendary history," said Hoeven. "Our state quarter will be a great symbol to showcase our state for generations to come."
As a part of the official launch festivities, Hoeven proclaimed the day as "Quarter in the Classroom Day" in North Dakota. Students from across the state attended the ceremony where each received a North Dakota quarter courtesy of the U.S. Mint. The U.S. Mint also provided a website for teachers to download lesson plans appropriate for all grade levels.
The 50 State Quarter Program Act, passed by Congress in 1997, provides for the redesign of the reverse side of the quarter dollar with images emblematic of each of the 50 states. Under the Act, a series of five quarter dollars with the new reverse will be issued each year through 2008 celebrating each of the 50 states of the Union. The coins will be issued in the sequence that they became part of the United States of America. North Dakota joined the Union in 1889 as the 39th state.
In April 2004, Hoeven established the North Dakota Quarter Design Selection Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, to guide the selection process and develop the narrative design concepts to be presented to the United States Mint. Members included:
Jack Dalrymple, Lt. Governor Jan Webb, North Dakota Council on the Arts Dina Butcher, former Exec. Director of the N.D. Agriculture Coalition, public member at large Karen Krebsbach, North Dakota Senate Nancy Johnson, North Dakota House of Representatives Al Jaeger, Secretary of State Merl Paaverud, Director, North Dakota Historical Society David M. Gipp, President of the United Tribes Technical College Sara Otte Coleman, Director, Tourism Division, Department of Commerce
Citizens of North Dakota were invited to submit a 50 word narrative to the commission answering the question: How do you want North Dakota to be seen on a national level? The nearly 400 citizen narratives were grouped into five concepts representative of North Dakota: agriculture, landscape, International Peace Garden, Badlands and Native American culture.
In May 2005, the Commission invited the public to vote on the final two design proposals. Thousands of North Dakotans voted and the Bison with Badlands design was chosen. Production of the coins started last month at the U.S. Mint facilities in Denver and Philadelphia. More than 500 million of the quarters are expected to be produced.
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