Arizona's 100th Birthday

In the weeks leading up to Arizona's 100th Birthday, I was rather preoccupied with reading everything I could about Arizona's history. I love Arizona. But even more so now! I mean, did you know that Arizona grows enough cotton each year to make more than one pair of jeans for every person in the United States? I don't know about you, but I love knowing that little tidbit! And I am determined to explore Arizona's every nook 'n cranny this summer.
So yesterday we celebrated Arizona's 100th Birthday at the preschool ~ I brought turquoise jewelry & bolo ties for the kids to try on... aloe vera plants to scoop out and smear on their 'owies'... 100 copper pennies to play with... and Arizona flags to color and paint.

And this afternoon Randy & I attended the Centennial Celebration at our State Capitol.

I had never seen the copper dome up close. And get this ~

The amount of copper utilized to make the copper dome atop Arizona’s Capitol building 

is equivalent to the amount used in 4.8 million pennies. Wow!

We saw square dancing performed by some of Arizona's finest.

And we also saw Wayne Newton ~ "Mr. Las Vegas" himself ~ in concert!

Wow! The guy is amazing! He can play anything ~ piano, guitar, banjo and electric fiddle.

His rendition of "Orange Blossom Special" was a crowd favorite for sure!

100 FUN & FASCINATING FACTS ~

about the great state of Arizona!

Some of my favorites ~

• Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits—more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming).
• There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 50.
• A saguaro cactus can store up to nine tons of water.
• The westernmost battle of the Civil War was fought at Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862 near Picacho Peak in Pinal County.
• From 1973 to 2007, Arizona was the only state with official state neckwear, the bola tie. In 2007, New Mexico also adopted the bola tie as the official State Tie.