Mark Your Calendars! Governor Gregoire Announces Official Release of the Washington Quarter

For Immediate Release: March 26, 2007

42nd quarter of 50 State Quarters� program launches at Seattle Center�s Fisher Pavilion on April 11

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that the Washington quarter will be released at a special event on April 11 at Fisher Pavilion in Seattle Center. The announcement came the same day that First Gentleman Mike Gregoire celebrated Washington Quarter Day at the Denver Mint, where he attended the strike ceremony for the commemorative quarter.

�With our country�s first president on one side and symbols of our state�s history and scenic landscape on the other, these quarters will be 100% Washington,� said Governor Gregoire. �I hope all Washingtonians will join Mike and me in celebrating this once in a lifetime opportunity.�

The new quarter design � a salmon breaching the water of a lake with Mount Rainier in the background � was recommended by the Washington State Quarter Advisory Commission to Governor Gregoire after it led an online public poll. First Mike served as the honorary chair of the Washington Quarter Commission.

Mount Rainier is an internationally recognized icon for Washington and acts as a symbolic bridge between the eastern and western parts of our state. Salmon are an image of northwest culture and have nourished the people of this area for thousands of years. They are representative of the native heritage of our region.

More details will be available as we continue to work toward this celebration.

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