THE LOCAL LIONS CLUBS SPONSORED BLAND CONTEST WILL BE HELD ON FEBRUARY 19 AT 2:00 PM. THIS EVENT WILL BE HELD AT THE CULPEPER BAPTIST CHURCH LOCATED AT 318 S. WEST STREET IN CULPEPER.
THE BLAND CONTEST HONORS JAMES BLAND, AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WHO WAS A POPULAR COMPOSER IN THE LATE 1880’S. MR. BLAND’S MOST POPULAR COMPOSITION IS BELIEVED TO BE “CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINNY’. THIS WAS THE STATE SONG OF VIRGINIA FOR MANY YEARS.
THE COMPETITION WILL FEATURE ENTRIES OF VOCAL AND INSTRUMENTAL TALENT. THE MUSIC DIRECTORS FOR ALL OF THE SCHOOLS, BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS EVENT. MR. JUSTIN MCFARLAND ANTICIPATES A LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STATE WIDE EVENT. INDIVIDUALS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUT ENGAGED IN THE TEACHING OF MUSIC HAVE ALSO BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS EVENT.
LOCAL WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY WILL BE AWARDED A PRIZE OF $100.00, SECOND PLACE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE A $50.00 PRIZE. STATE WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY WILL RECEIVE A SCHOLARSHIP OF $2,500.00, SECOND PLACE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS VALUED AT $2,000, THIRD PLACE WINNERS $1,500. FOURTH, FIFTH AND SIXTH PLACE WINNERS WILL RECEIVE SCHOLARSHIPS VALUED AT $1,000.00 EACH.