Federal Bill Designates Blue Ridge Music Center Amphitheater as the 'Rick Boucher Amphitheater'

This bill is short, sweet, and strictly administrative: it officially renames the outdoor amphitheater at the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, Virginia, to the "Rick Boucher Amphitheater." Located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, this popular venue at 700 Foothills Road is getting a new official moniker. The legislation mandates that every single official U.S. document, map, regulation, and record must update its references to reflect this new designation, ensuring consistency across all federal paperwork.

The Paperwork Change and What It Means

This isn't a bill that changes your taxes, alters your healthcare, or imposes new regulations on your business. It is a classic example of a federal designation bill, focused entirely on recognizing an individual by naming a public facility after them. For the average person, the only noticeable change might be seeing the new name on concert tickets or park maps the next time they visit the Blue Ridge Music Center. The facility itself—its operations, funding, and programming—remains exactly the same.

Impact on the Ground

The real impact here is on federal agencies. According to Section 1, every agency responsible for maintaining records related to the Blue Ridge Parkway or the Music Center must now go through their files and update the name. Think of the National Park Service, which manages the Parkway, or the Government Publishing Office, which prints official maps. They are required to swap out the generic reference for the specific "Rick Boucher Amphitheater." This ensures that when the government talks about the venue, there’s no confusion. It’s a purely logistical change, but one that ensures formal recognition for the named individual within the federal system.