The Slice: Maybe it’s not so hip to be square (dancers)

I believe I have uncovered a scandal.

But before we get into that, let me ask a question.

Haven’t you always thought it is a bit odd that both Washington and Idaho have as their official state dance the square dance?

Nothing against the square dance. But shouldn’t one of the two states have the Hokey Pokey or the Funky Chicken or something else? Just for variety’s sake.

So I looked up the other states, to see what they have as their official dances. And that’s when I saw it.

About half have the square dance as their state dance. Twenty-four states, to be precise.

I know. It floored me, too.

We like to think we are special here in the Northwest. But can that be true if we have the same state dance as Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado , Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia?

Oh, well. At least Washington and Idaho still have winning official state fossils. Washington’s is the mammoth. Idaho’s is an ancient horse.

I’m not going to look up what the other states have. Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Vintage imagining: Producing wine and designing attractive labels takes effort.

But what if we just pretend?

I’ll send coveted reporter’s notebooks to a few readers who come up with the best names for a new Northwest wine.

Just wondering: Does the word “Octoberfest” make you feel the urge to slather hot mustard on food and drink beer from a glass the size of a compact car?

Slice answers: Several responding readers said they do not judge others on the basis of their collections because they themselves are collectors of decidedly oddball items.

Warm-up question: There’s Riverfront Park. And there’s Riverside State Park. But what would a third “River” park be called?

Today’s Slice question: What’s the easiest way to tell the difference between xeriscaping and landscaping that simply got cooked in the heat this summer?