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2007 SESSION

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070812390
HOUSE BILL NO. 2662 Offered January 10, 2007 Prefiled January 10, 2007 A BILL to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state song designated. ---------- Patron-- Marsden ---------- Referred to Committee on Rules ----------

Whereas, the Commonwealth has no official song because "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," declared the official song of the Commonwealth in 1940, was declared the official song emeritus of the Commonwealth in 1997; and

Whereas, Carol Boyd Leon wrote the music and lyrics for the song "Virginia, Ever Enshrined" to reflect the rich tradition of the Commonwealth, the birthplace of the nation, and to invoke images of the natural and scenic beauty citizens of the Commonwealth celebrate; and

Whereas, the Commonwealth requires an official song that can be sung on all occasions with pride and affection; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That "Virginia, Ever Enshrined," as adapted, be designated as the state song of the Commonwealth, the words of which are as follows:

Virginia, where the rolling mountains capture the eye,

Virginia, where the songbirds serenade the clear blue sky,

Virginia, where the crystal streams cross the valleys so wide,

Deep within my heart is where you'll always reside.

 

Democracy's cradle we hold you to be,

America's birthplace, the home of liberty.

Provenance of Presidents throughout our history,

Your sons and daughters show the world that people must live free.

The people must live free.

 

The colors of the Shenandoah stay always in my mind,

The salty air of Chesapeake I'll never leave behind,

The pioneering spirit of the Blue Ridge

You will find within the soul of this Virginian

Ever enshrined.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 1-510. Official emblems and designations.

The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:

Artisan Center - "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.

Bat - Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).

Beverage - Milk.

Blue Ridge Folklore State Center - Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.

Boat - "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."

Dog - American Foxhound.

Emergency medical services museum - "To The Rescue," located in the City of Roanoke.

Fleet - Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.

Flower - American Dogwood (Cornus florida).

Folk dance - Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.

Fossil - Chesapecten jeffersonius.

Gold mining interpretive center - Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.

Insect - Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne).

Motor sports museum - "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.

Outdoor drama - "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.

Outdoor drama, historical - "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.

Shell - Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).

Song - "Virginia, Ever Enshrined."

Song emeritus - "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.

Sports hall of fame - "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.

War memorial museum - "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.