Hill Country Night Sky Song Writing Contest

Don't bring your city lights, to our Hill Country nights.
Don't bring no neon signs, they're not welcome if you try.
The only lights we need, God put up in the sky.
So please don't bring those city lights, to our Hill Country nights.
                —“Hill Country Nights,” Ken Frederick, 2019

Ken Got it Right. Ken Frederick was one of the fifteen talented songwriters who entered our first Hill Country Night Sky Song Writing Contest way back in 2019. You have to agree that his lyrics perfectly captured what we're trying to do—keeping those city lights out of the Texas Hill Country so we can continue to enjoy the brilliant night skies we have now.

Hill Country Night Sky Song Contest - 2023

Regrettably, we only received three entries for the 2023 Night Sky Song Contest. Therefore, we have had to scrub the contest for this year. We've cancelled the contest party we had scheduled for October 4th at Blanco's Gem of the Hills. We're hopeful that we can have a terrific song contest in 2024 and are looking forward to hearing the same quality of incredible, original night sky-related songs that we have had in previous years. So, stay tuned!

Hill Country Night Sky Song Contest - 2022

Kicking off celebration of the Hill Country Alliance's Hill Country Night Sky Month of October, the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky hosted its 2022 Deep in the Dark of Texas™ Songwriters Contest on October 1, 2022, at Blanco's Gem of the Hills Community Center. The singers/songwriters performed before an appreciative crowd of more than 50 night sky preservation proponents.

An amazing and inspiring evening was enjoyed by everyone who gathered to listen to the newest original songs about the night sky. The contestants came from Blanco County and beyond to share their music. Taking top honors for the second time in a row was Melanie Van Aken with her original composition, “Bonnet Your Lights.” There was a tie for second/third between Stanton Rhyne with his song “Innocent Night” and Martha Pinto with “I Need The Stars.” One of our local favorites, Dan Gilroy, delighted the audience with “We Love the Night Sky.” Dan was given honorable mention because he came in only one point behind the second/third place tie. Below is the picture and article posted in the local newspapers. Thanks again to all our songwriters/performers and our fantastic audience.

Hill Country Night Sky Song Contest - 2019

Our CD containing most of the wonderful night sky songs that were entered during the 2019 contest is titled Deep in the Dark of Texas,^TM Vol. 1, and is still available at Liz's On the Square in Blanco. It can also be purchased on our website by going to Deep in the Dark of Texas,^TM Vol. 1. Funds from the sale of the CDs be used to help educate more people on the issues and challenges of protecting our night sky.

Once again, thank you all for participating in this contest.