2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 488

Commending the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 27, 2025

WHEREAS, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is a beloved dinner theater and event space in Stafford County that has delighted audiences and attendees for more than 25 years; and

WHEREAS, inspired by the vision of the late Rollin E. Wehman, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts provides its audiences with the opportunity to see exceptional theater entertainment while enjoying three-course, chef-prepared meals with family and friends; and

WHEREAS, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts opened on June 18, 1998, with an inaugural performance of Oklahoma! and has since presented more than 200 musical and dramatic productions on its main stage and more than 120 performances in its Children's Theatre to more than a half million theatergoers; and

WHEREAS, with a traditional proscenium stage and the only dinner theater fly loft in the Commonwealth, as well as experienced performers that have appeared on the stages of Broadway and in other prestigious productions, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts has built a reputation as a leading destination for world-class entertainment; and

WHEREAS, utilizing two spaces that were specially designed to accommodate a variety of gatherings and purposes, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts has hosted countless weddings and special events over the years and become a highly sought venue for a range of distinguished occasions; and

WHEREAS, prior to becoming a nonprofit organization on January 1, 2024, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts had been supported by the Riverside Foundation for the Performing Arts since 2007, which helped spearhead many of the center's charitable and educational endeavors, including scholarships to students interested in careers in the performing arts; and

WHEREAS, by fostering the creative and performing arts through its productions and programs, the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts has become an integral part of the Greater Fredericksburg area's cultural community, helping to make the region a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts hereby be commended for its accomplishments as a dinner theater, event space, and cultural institution; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for the organization's contributions to the Commonwealth.