State Representative Angela Williams thought she’d found a perfect way to engage young citizens while exposing them to the legislative process — having them create and run a bill.
“I guess you learn as you go,” Williams, D-Denver, said with a sigh on Wednesday. “I didn’t know how sensitively people would react.”
The project that the students, who range in age from 8 to 12, picked was trying to have the Palisades peach named as the official state fruit. But what once looked like a harmless lark has become something of a cause celebre across Colorado, with farmers from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains weighing in on behalf of their favorite healthy snack — with one exception.
“I haven’t heard from anyone representing apples yet,” Williams said.
The furor has reached the point where on Wednesday, Williams withdrew the measure crafted by her young constituents, House Bill 1304, from the day’s calendar because she was afraid of the contentious debate that might ensue on the floor.
The Rocky Ford Growers Association says that, rather than quibble over what fruit is most worthy of official state designation, they believe that there’s room for all sorts of citruses and berries under the tree.
“We know the same people who love our cantaloupes and melons also love Palisade peaches, and we like to help promote all Colorado grown products,” said RFGA president Michael Hirakata.
The RFGA added that Hirakata had just planted the first cantaloupe seeds of the season on Wednesday. That’s all well and good, Williams says — before pointing out that, technically speaking, the cantaloupe isn’t really a fruit.
“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it’s a vegetable in the squash family,” she said.
That’s just one of the interesting tidbits that have been unearthed in the great debate. According to Williams, peaches represent 75 percent of Colorado’s fruit crop, generating about $25 million to the state’s economy (second place on the list indeed belongs to apples, at about $8.5 million).
Meanwhile, Sen. Larry Crowder, R-Alamosa, counters that the peach was first harvested in the state in 1887, with the cantaloupe a year later.
And by the way, he adds, he doesn’t accept the cantaloupe-as-vegetable argument. In any case, should Williams’ bill make it out of the House, Crowder hopes to amend it to ensure that the Rocky Ford cantaloupe is added.
“I don’t want to discredit the peach or take it off the table in favor of the cantaloupe,” Crowder said, adding that he enjoys the dynamic duo in a bowl with cream every morning. “Both need to be recognized for their excellent performance.”
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292, acotton@denverpost.com or twitter.com/anthonycottondp
