State Quarter Launch
On September 9, 2005, the Kansas commemorative quarter was officially launched by Governor Kathleen Sebelius at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. The quarter, which contains two of the state's symbols, the buffalo and the sunflower, is the 34th in the series of commemorative coins issued by the U.S. Mint honoring the states. Governor Sebelius, native Kansan Bill Kurtis, who emceed the program, and Acting Director of the U.S. Mint David Lebryk arrived at the fair grandstand via a red stagecoach, escorted by the Wild Women of the Frontier. The program to launch the quarter included performances by the Prairie Rose Wranglers; the Kennedy Middle School from Hays, who sang the national anthem; Dennis Rogers, a Native American story teller and dancer; a poem written for the occasion by poet laureate Jonathan Holden; and the Buffalo Soldier re-enactors from Nicodemus who placed the U.S. and Kansas flags on the stage. Attendance at the event was estimated to be greater than 5,000, one of the largest attended coin launches thus far. After the ceremony, individuals were allowed to exchange cash for new rolls of quarters, as well as to purchase commemorative coin sets. Central Bank and Trust of Hutchinson, the official bank of the coin launch, coordinated the receipt of the quarters and manned the exchange booths at the launch. Additionally, all children in attendance at the program received a free quarter, compliments of the U.S. Mint.
The process for selecting the coin began back in 2003 when more than 1,500 Kansans submitted design ideas for the quarter. The designs were then reviewed by the Kansas Coin Commission, comprised of 16 legislators and other individuals, who narrowed the number of designs to four. The final design was selected by students from 211 high schools throughout the state. The Kansas Coin Commission appointed a Coin Launch Committee who coordinated and planned the actual launch held at the state fair. Judi Stork, Deputy Bank Commissioner, was a member of the Coin Launch Committee.
