New Quarter Coming Next Week

Some Arkansas school children will be the first to hold -- and spend -- the newly minted state quarter. The quarters will be distributed to more than two thousand children on October 28th when the coin is officially introduced at Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro. The children are from schools that have registered to attend in advance. A daylong series of events is planed at the park and in the city beginning with morning performances by the Murfreesboro High School band and ending with a fireworks display. Governor Huckabee and Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the US Mint, will officially launch the quarter into circulation at the park. Park officials say the event will be standing room only and that school groups from as far away as West Memphis have registered to attend. The Arkansas quarter will be the 25th state quarter in circulation. ----- Murfreesboro was chosen to host the Arkansas quarter ceremony because a diamond is featured prominently in the quarter`s design. The quarter also features a duck, pine trees and a rice plant. Dortha Scott of Mount Ida sketched the winning design, which was selected from nine thousand,320 contest entries.