Photo courtesy of Daleville-Fincastle Lions Club
The Daleville-Fincastle Lions conducted their Sixth Annual Bland Music Contest at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Daleville on Saturday, March 8.
The instrumentalist winners were James Knox, first place; Beau Lee, second; and Alayna Chin, third. The vocalist winner was Emery Maxson. James and Emery will advance to the semi-district contest on Sunday, April 6, at Thrasher Memorial Methodist Church in Vinton. The winners at the semi-district contest will advance to the state contest in Williamsburg on May 2.
This contest, which promotes and assists cultural educational opportunities for Virginia youth, was started by the Lions of Virginia in 1948 to honor James Bland, a popular composer in the 1800s. His most popular composition was “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny,” which was adopted as the state song in 1940 and is now the state song emeritus.
The Lions thank judges Deborah Wiley and Heather Mitchell for their time and expertise in providing the judging for this contest, and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church for hosting this event.
~Daleville-Fincastle Lions Club
