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2009 SESSION

090834640
HOUSE BILL NO. 2134
Offered January 14, 2009
Prefiled January 13, 2009
A BILL to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state song designated.
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Patron-- Miller, J.H.
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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Whereas, the Commonwealth has had no official song since "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 traditions of the Commonwealth and the birthplace of the nation, and invoke images of the natural and scenic beauty its citizens celebrate; and

Whereas, the lyrics of  "Virginia, Birth Place of Our Nation," written by Lorraine Neill and Lynn Czarny, describe Virginia's natural scenic and emphasize the Commonwealth's unique position as the birthplace of the nation; and

Whereas, the words of the "Virginia, Birth Place of Our Nation," are as follows:

From the great Shenandoah, to the shores of the Atlantic Sea,

There is a cardinal, nesting in a flowering dogwood tree.

Horse country, farmlands, vineyards, the quaint towns in between;

The commonwealth of Virginia is home to all of these.

 

Virginia, Virginia, we sing in jubilation.

Virginia, Virginia, the birthplace of our nation.

 

Home to the father of our country, and seven other presidents.

Today remains the dwelling, of distinguished residents.

So grateful to be living where the first Thanksgiving feast took place,

Now all may live and work together, regardless of their race.

 

Virginia, Virginia, we sing in jubilation.

Virginia, Virginia, the birthplace of our nation.

 

From the hallowed grounds of Arlington, where the country's fallen heroes lie,

And on Virginia's battlefields, many soldiers fought and died.

Dedicated men and women, fighting for our nation's liberty

Gave of their lives so all who follow, live in a land that's free.

 

Virginia, Virginia, we sing in jubilation.

Virginia, Virginia, the birthplace of our nation.

 

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

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 - "Virginia, Birth Place of Our Nation" written by Lorraine Neill and Lynn Czarny.

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.