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2009 SESSION

098024480
HOUSE BILL NO. 2554
Offered January 20, 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-- Crockett-Stark
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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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, the official song should reference the rich tradition of the Commonwealth and the birthplace of the nation, 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 "The Banner Yet Wave" written by Frank Pugh be designated as the official song of the Commonwealth, the words of which are as follows:

When I sing our national anthem and see old Glory fly.

I think of what they stand for and a tear comes to my eyes.

I reflect on all the people who died to keep old Glory waving high.

So when you hear the Star Spangled Banner, won't you lift your voice and cry.

 

Oh, the rocket's red glare shines its light on the heroes.

Who carry the flag, who stand upon the wall.

Who fight for the future and liberty for us all.

As the bombs burst in air courage rises in the heroes.

And they lay down their lives so freedom will survive.

And the banner yet wave.

 

There are those who practice for war and those who protest for peace.

There are those who pray to the Lord that all this fighting will cease.

But no matter how you feel in all our hearts beats American pride.

O say can you see the heroes that lie deep inside.

 

Oh, the rocket's red glare shines its light on the heroes.

Who carry the flag, who stand upon the wall.

Who fight for the future and liberty for us all.

As the bombs burst in air, courage rises in the heroes.

And they lay down their lives so freedom will survive.

And the banner yet wave.

 

Won't you do your duty, cast your vote today.

Volunteer to help someone along life's troubled way.

For this land of the free is made up of you and me.

And it's patriots like us here today that bring strength to the home of the brave.

 

Oh, the rocket's red glare shines its light on the heroes.

Who carry the flag, who stand upon the wall.

Who fight for the future and liberty for us all.

As the bombs burst in air courage rises in the heroes.

And they lay down their lives so freedom will survive and the banner yet wave.

What we do with our lives helps freedom to survive, and the banner yet wave.

What I do with my life, lets freedom still survive.

And the banner yet wave.

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 - "The Banner Yet Wave" by Frank Pugh.

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.