To obtain a high-resolution image of this stamp for media use only, e-mail roy.a.betts@usps.gov

TOPEKA, KS — Commemorating the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood, the U.S. Postal Service today issued a Forever Stamp illustrating many of the state’s most prominent features: history, industry, agriculture and pioneering ingenuity.

“Today, the Postal Service is proud to honor the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood with another commemorative stamp, the eighth one dedicated to this great state,” said Rick J. Pivovar, acting district manager, Central Plains District. “Moreover, with today’s stamp dedication, Kansas will become the first state in the nation with its own Forever Stamp.

“Kansas has brought us Amelia Earhart, the celebrated aviator, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, the great general and two-term president,” said Pivovar. “From athletics to aviation, arts and sciences to academia, TV and film production to business development, law and politics to journalism, national security to religion, Kansans have clearly enhanced the greatness of America.”

The stamp features artwork by renowned commercial and fine-art painter Dean Mitchell. Created specifically for the Postal Service, this stamp is a symbolic artistic snapshot of Kansas that encapsulates many of the state’s prominent features.

In the foreground stands a type of efficient windmill pioneered in America during the mid-19th century, first made of wood but later out of metal, like the one shown on this stamp, and fitted with a tail, like a weather vane, to change the direction of the wheel relative to the wind. The role of these windmills was vital to the state’s development. They pumped water from underground for the benefit of railroads, farmers, ranchers and residents of small towns.

In the background of the stamp stand five modern wind turbines that demonstrate continuity and the forward-looking nature of the modern Kansas economy. Below and behind the windmills is the Kansas landscape, with stylized bands of color implying the varying topography of the state. A golden band suggests the undulating plains of western Kansas and symbolizing statewide prosperity in agriculture, while a green band hints at the forests and hills of eastern Kansas.

Joining Pivovar to dedicate the Kansas Statehood Forever Stamp were Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, and Kansas Historical Society Executive Director Jennie Chinn.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Kansas Statehood Stamp
Main Post Office
424 S. Kansas Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by March 27, 2011.

How to Order First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 466361, First-Day Cover, $0.82
• 466365, Digital Color Postmark, $1.50
• 466391, Ceremony Program, $6.95
• 466399, Keepsake Pane and Digital Color Postmark, $10.95

To learn more about the Postal Service’s Stamp Program, visit http://beyondtheperf.com.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.