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2009 SESSION
091104480Whereas, 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, the official song should reference the rich tradition of the Commonwealth and invoke images of the natural and scenic beauty its citizens 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 House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That "Ol' Virginia," by Daniel K. Lawson, be designated as the official song of the Commonwealth, the words of which are as follows:
When I see mountains around me
And I can taste fresh air on my tongue
I can hear her voice calling
To come back to where I once belonged
To my home in ol' Virginia
To my home in ol' Virginia
We trust fate to where we're going
But in my mind it's always the same
A city street in the heart of Richmond
On a summer day down by the James
Back to my home in ol' Virginia
Back to my home in ol' Virginia
From Tennessee to West Virginia
This Southern land keeps calling me
From Maryland to Carolina
To my cabin in Appalachia
Well I know one day when this journey's over
And they want to lay me
In the cold hard ground
I'll take my last breath in these mountains
And have my ashes scattered all around
This is my home it's ol' Virginia
This is my home it's ol' Virginia
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."
Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth - Patrick County.
Covered Bridge Festival - Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.
Dog - American Foxhound.
Emergency medical services museum - "To The Rescue," located in the City of Roanoke.
Fish - Brook Trout.
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 - "Ol' Virginia," by Daniel K. Lawson.
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.