Around America in Limerick Form (#2) Quiz

Answer: Kentucky

Kentucky: The Blue Grass State.
The Kentucky Derby (or the "Run For the Roses") is held the first Saturday in May every year at Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY; it has been a huge tourist attraction - and social affair - since the race debuted in 1875. The "Louisville Slugger" was the brainchild of Bud Hillerich in 1894, and from that time up to the present (2010), the company has sold 100 MILLION bats! (BTW, baseballs, although still referred to as horsehide, are now made of cowhide.)

Answer: New Hampshire

New Hampshire: The Granite State.
The Old Man of the Mountain, a/k/a the Great Stone Face, was first noticed and written about in 1805. Sadly, he crumbled and collapsed in 2003, which is why his legend is told "with a sigh." "People left flowers at the base of the cliffs in tribute." (enWikipedia.com) "Live Free or Die!" That's a red-meat motto, huh?

Answer: Rhode Island

Rhode Island: The Ocean State.
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union in size. The Newport Yacht Club was formed in 1894, and, let's face it, it's quite an "old money" establishment. However, you don't have to be a millionaire to take advantage of Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic. Roger Williams founded Providence Plantation in 1636, which was intended to be a haven for those of all faiths to freely practice their religion.

Answer: Washington

Washington: The Evergreen State.
Apples are as much associated with Washington as oranges with Florida. The "Red Delicious" accounts for a good 30% of apples grown in-state, but accounts for 43% of apples for world export. Washington claims a fair share of famous people: Bob Barker, Kurt Cobain, Bing Crosby, Judy Collins, Adam West...as well as the three mentioned above. And yeah, it's true: Google "Washington" without "state"... you'll get DC-related items.

Answer: Maine

Maine: The Pine Tree State.
Portland ME, the birthplace of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, used to be the state capital until 1832 when it was transplanted to Augusta. The abundance of Eastern White Pine that grow in Maine's forests led to the state nickname. Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland Maine, although the Maine town he writes about, Castle Rock, is fictional. Maine waters provide almost 90% of the U.S. lobster harvest.

Answer: Alaska

Alaska: The Last Frontier. June 21, 2011 marks the Summer Solstice for North America. This day, in Alaska, people will see twenty-four hours of daylight. (Of course, depending on where you are in Alaska at the time, the sun may or not be below the horizon, but it will still be "light" at night.) Anchorage accounts for about 19 hours of daylight per day during the summer months.

The "Bridge to Nowhere" (or Gravina Island Bridge), proposed by Senator Ted Stevens and Representative Don Young, was projected to cost the taxpayers $398 million.

The plan was to connect the town of Ketchikan AK with Ketchikan Airport on Gravina Island, inhabited by 50 people, although the island is already serviced by a ferry which runs every half-hour.

Answer: Delaware

Delaware: The First State.
Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787, but was not always known as "the First State." Previously known as the "Blue Hen State," it became "The First State" on May 23, 2002 "due to a request by Mrs. Anabelle O'Malley's first-graders at Mt. Pleasant Elementary School" in Wilmington (netstate.com). Delaware's "relaxed" interest regulations and taxes make it a haven for credit card companies as well as major banks. According to Wikipedia, "Over 50% of U.S. publicly-traded corporations and 60% of the Fortune 500 companies are incorporated in [Delaware]." Joe Biden was one of the few Democrats who voted to make it tougher to declare bankruptcy, and his son is a consultant to MBNA, not only a major credit-card company, but a contributor to Pa Biden's political campaigns.

Answer: Louisiana

Louisiana: the Pelican State.
Louisiana, the only state in the union that calls its county subdivisions "parishes," has for its flag "a pelican feeding her young on a blue background,
with the words 'Union, Justice, Confidence'." (50states.com) "Cajun" is short for "Acadian," those French Canadians who, once they were driven out of Canada after the French & Indian War, settled in Louisiana. Sadly, the population of New Orleans was almost 30% smaller (2010) than it was in 2005 when Katrina struck, and the BP spill delivered a second crushing blow to the coastline's economy.

Answer: Connecticut

Connecticut: the Constitution State
Yale University, "the third-oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S.," (enWikipedia.com) was established in 1701. Long Island Sound is a body of water to the south of Connecticut and to the north of Long Island. The UConn Huskies won the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" was written by Mark Twain and published in 1889; Twain himself lived in Connecticut from 1871 to 1891.

Answer: Alabama

Alabama: the Yellowhammer State There were actually three Civil Rights marches in Alabama in March 1965. The first was on "Bloody Sunday" March 7, when about 600 demonstrators were stopped at the Edmund Pettus Bridge and driven back into Selma by Alabama State Police and local officials with tear gas, dogs and billy clubs.

The second, March 9, organized by Martin Luther King, was a "symbolic" march to the bridge. The third march - this time sanctioned by Federal Judge Frank Johnson - took place on March 25; 3200 marchers set out for Montgomery and made it, picking up about 20,000 more supporters along the way.

By the end of the year, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law. Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama in 1926; in 1960 she wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" which deals with Southern race relations. (General info enWikipedia.com)