Would Kansas really want an Oz theme to represent it in the state quarter series?

It will be interesting to see what image the high school students of Kansas choose to represent the state in the U.S. Mint’s commemorative quarter series.

Five concepts for the design have been forwarded to the mint. They include the predictable sunflowers, wheat and buffalo. One features the Ad Astra statue on the capitol dome in Topeka, which doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Another is an image from the John Steuart Curry murals in the Capitol of a farmer standing in his wheat field with his children at his side.

Although it has drawn some favorable response, the design that draws on the Wizard of Oz theme would be low on our list. Dorothy is right that “There’s no place like home,” as the design states, but the Oz theme is getting a little old.

Let’s commemorate our state’s rich history rather than its fictional heritage.