CHUBBUCK (Capital Sun of Idaho) Idaho State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth is reimagining the Spuddy Buddy mascot as several historical individuals in anticipation of the America250 celebration next year.
A Spudjamin Franklin mascot, for instance, was unveiled by Ellsworth, a member of the advisory committee organizing Idaho’s portion of the America250 event.
The Idaho State Treasurer’s Office said in a news release on Tuesday that the new patriotic squid mascot would be on display for Idahoans on August 2 at the American Falls Day and again on August 9 at the Chubbuck Days.
Ellsworth claims to have redesigned the more traditional Spuddy Buddy mascot used by the Idaho Potato Commission, creating a number of revolutionary Spuddy Buddies, including Spudjamin Franklin.
The public can register to be an America250 ambassador in Idaho and digitally sign their name to a commemorative copy of the Declaration of Independence that will be on display at the Idaho State Capitol in Boise during the events in American Falls and Chubbuck next month.
After that, Spudjamin Franklin and other Revolutionary Spuddy Buddies will appear at public gatherings to promote America250 around the state.
This is your opportunity to represent America250 as an ambassador! On Tuesday, Ellsworth’s office issued a formal statement. Come celebrate our nation’s revolutionary past, sign the Declaration of Independence for America250 in Idaho, and take priceless pictures with this charmingly wacky Revolutionary Spuddy Buddy.
According to a recent article by the Idaho Capital Sun, a legislative advisory board organizing the America250 in Idaho celebration canceled awards for 29 out of 31 nonprofit and arts organizations that had received notifications that they were eligible to receive grants ranging from $4,000 to $25,000. According to the Sun, the subsidies were revoked when the Idaho Legislature granted the advisory group authority over the funding for the America250 events in Idaho.
Sen. Ben Adams, R-Nampa, one of the two lawmakers who chairs the advisory committee, told the Sun that he wanted all grant money expenditures to be hyper-focused on the America250 commemoration and the birth of America.
The America250 in Idaho initiative has additional details on its website.
