New Vermont quarter design set
for circulation next summer

By Laura Wolpert
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

The ideas came flooding into the Vermont State Arts Council (VSAC) from residents all over the green mountain state as VSAC tried to draft the most fitting design for the new Vermont quarter.

"People came out of the woodwork to give design ideas," said Alex Aldrich of VSAC. "They get very emotional when it comes to something that represents the place that they live in and love."

VSAC received 25 separate design ideas arranged in over 2,500 different ways.

From those 2,500 submissions, Gov. Howard Dean chose five, which then would be narrowed to only one design to send to the US Mint.

"The whole process is federally mandated, but it was suggested and encouraged that the state receive suggestions from its residents," Aldrich said.

The process began when a small group of people from various associations around the state were asked to sit on the decision panel. The panel then narrowed the suggestions.

Gov. Howard Dean selected the best five.

Three of these suggestions were then sent to the US Mint. The ideas were considered by two committees, one concerning the basic relevance and creativity of the plan, the other concerning the technical side of what the image would look like on the quarter.

All of the original suggestions included an image of Camel's Hump, a mountain landmark popular in Vermont.

Two images were then sent back to the Vermont State Arts Council. The first of these images was a large snowflake in front of Camel's Hump.

"It sort of resembled a bird dropping," Aldrich said of that design.

The second design, which ultimately was the winner, showed two Maple trees with sap buckets and a man, all situated in front of the image of Camel's Hump.

This verdict was sent back to the US Mint in mid-September and the Arts Council is expecting a casting of the final product in the mail any day now.

The new Vermont State quarters will be put into circulation on July 1, 2001.

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