Liver mush, butterflies and mullets
A House-passed measure would name an official state butterfly, mullet festival and two official state liver mush festivals.
Posted — Updated- The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail would become the official state butterfly.
- The the Swansboro Mullet Festival would become the official mullet festival of the state. We're talking about the fish, not the hair cut, although one might imagine you would see one at the other.
- The Shelby Liver Mush Festival would become the state's official Fall liver mush festival.
- The Marion Liver Mush Festival would become state's official Spring liver mush festival.
"I don't know if I can can support any liver mush festival because I don't like liver mush," Rep. Sarah Stevens, R-Surry, told her colleagues.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where it only needs one vote to pass but its fate is uncertain. There are certain senators who don't like these official state symbol bills and frequently vote against them.
And, as another wag here in the legislative press room points out, I'm not sure about the implications of naming an official festival in honor of a fish that is not the official state saltwater fish (the channel bass or red drum).
There were the usual rhetorical frivolities that come with the passage of such a bill, but Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who presides over the Senate, may have gotten in the best one.
"I believe the monarch butterflies are forming a caucus right now and very offended by this," Dalton said.
The measure is now in Gov. Bev Perdue's hands.
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