Oklahoma 100th Birthday Stamp Going On Sale

Friday, January 5th 2007, 7:51 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The U.S. Postal Service, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Centennial Commission, will issue the 39-cent Oklahoma Statehood Stamp at all of the state's 567 post offices on Thursday.

"All Oklahomans will want to purchase this stamp so they can share their state pride with friends and family throughout the nation," Blake Wade, Centennial Commission executive director, said Friday.

On the First Day of Issue stamps, all Oklahoma post offices will offer a pictorial cancellation unique with their city's name and ZIP Code. The postmark also features Oklahoma's Centennial logo and the phrase "Centennial Station, First Day of Sale January 11, 2007."

The Oklahoma Statehood Stamp features a familiar landscape of an Oklahoma sunrise, with the sun rising from beyond a river flowing through a valley of high plains terrain.

Stamp designer Mike Larsen of Perkins captured the tranquil Oklahoma scene in his colorful artwork. The stamp also pays homage to the beloved musical, "Oklahoma!," with the caption, "Oh, what a beautiful mornin"' The musical's signature song doubles as Oklahoma's state song.

"We want to thank the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating Oklahoma's 100th anniversary of statehood," said Lee Allan Smith, chairman of Centennial Projects and Events.

The Oklahoma Centennial Commission is the statewide board charged with planning and implementing Oklahoma's 100th anniversary of statehood in 2007.

The Commission has over 850 projects and events planned to commemorate Oklahoma's Centennial.