PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 30, 2025
This legislative session, Maine lawmakers will decide whether to name the Seppala Siberian sled dog, spring peeper and wood turtle our official state dog, amphibian and reptile, respectively. Whoa. Before we add multiple cold-blooded creatures to our increasingly chaotic catalog of state emblems, can we take care of some more low-hanging fruit? Surely the potato is a shoo-in for state root vegetable. And how has the Maine Italian not yet been named our state sandwich? If California has named denim as its state fabric, we should do the same for flannel. The Bean Boot long ago should have been named our state shoe. We’ve got to prioritize. The Legislature needs to establish an Office of Maine State Stuff. If it looks like it’s going to get killed for lack of funding, I’ll volunteer as director. ~ Leslie Bridgers