US: bill would make peach Alabama's official "tree fruit"

How many official fruits does one state need?

Alabama will have two if the Legislature passes a bill to make
the peach the official state "tree fruit." The bill by Rep. Jimmy
Martin, D-Clanton, is scheduled to be up for debate in the House Tuesday.

At the urging of students from Fairhope Elementary School in Baldwin County, the Legislature last year passed a bill making the blackberry the state's official fruit. At the time some lawmakers, including Martin, complained that the state should recognize the peach instead.

Martin is from Chilton County, which is famous for its sweet yummy peaches, sold from fruit markets and roadside stands throughout the county.

" Chilton County and peaches are kind of synonymous with each other. What I'm trying to do is recognize the hard working peach farmers who gamble on the weather every year to be able to produce peaches," Martin said.

By using the "tree fruit" designation, the Legislature can recognize the peach without stripping the blackberry of its title, Martin said.

At Peach Park, a large fruit market, gift shop and restaurant just off Interstate 65 in Clanton, manager Mark Gray said "it's a great idea" for the state to officially recognize the peach.

"The peach makes a lot of farmers a living in this area," Gray said. While his business now sells everything from barbecue sandwiches to wind chimes, he admitted that it's the county's famous peaches that lure visitors, some in tour buses, off the interstate.

"The reason the store was built from the start was to sell peaches," Gray said.

It's become common for lawmakers to push to give a special designation to a certain animal or product, usually as a way of highlighting the legislator's district or region.

The peach bill comes several weeks after the House passed a similar measure naming the queen honey bee Alabama's official state insect. The queen bee would dethrone the monarch butterfly as the state insect. A Senate committee is looking for a way to honor both the butterfly and the bee.

The House has also this session passed a bill naming the black bear the official state mammal. That bill is also awaiting action in the Senate.

The Legislature in 2000 named the Red Hills salamander the official state amphibian, also at the urging of the students from Fairhope Elementary School.

Sometimes, official state designations can backfire.

Last year, the Legislature passed a resolution designating Conecuh Ridge Fine Alabama Whiskey as the official state spirit. The House voted earlier this year to revoke that designation after the founder of Conecuh Ridge, Kenny May, pleaded guilty in Geneva County to selling alcoholic beverage to a minor and possession of an excess quantity of liquor in a dry county. The Senate is still considering the resolution to revoke the state spirit designation.

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