Iowa now has an official tartan. It’s national tartan day, and Scottish folk were on hand this morning, wearing their kilts, as Iowa legislators approved the Iowa tartan this morning. Ann Gerdts of Walker, president of the Scottish Heritage Society of Iowa, says the fabric — the tartan — has the colors of Iowa.Blue for the rivers, brown for the earth, the red and white of the Iowa flag, and the dominant color of green, which Gerdts says represents the green corn of Iowa. Gerdts says you can see the tartan on the Internet, and order some fabric if you want. The address is www.haggis-iowa.com. She says six percent of Iowans are of Scottish heritage. Mark Osweiler of St. Paul, Minnesota designed the tartan, an identifying fabric which originated in the late 17-hundreds and early 18-hundreds.A tartan is symmetrical, so whichever way it’s held, the fabric design looks the same. With House and Senate ratification of the tartan design today, Iowa becomes the 20th U.S. State to have an “official” tartan.
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