If you have picked up this month’s issue of 605 Magazine, then you are aware of the 2013 Songwriting Contest held by the Rapid City Arts Council. To enter, submit an MP3 under five minutes long to songwriters@thedahl.org by Sept. 16 at 5 p.m. central time.
The winner will open for the headliner at the Americana Music Festival in Rapid City on Nov. 2. Check out last year’s winning song, “Sweet Home South Dakota,” by Ted Heeren, who will be acting as one of the three judges at this year’s competition:
[SWEET HOME SOUTH DAKOTA]
I spilt coffee on my crotch
while passing through Java South Dakota
And later that same day
I spilt a Canistota
So I freshened up in Bath
and got a proper shave in Beardsley
Things went foul in Moody County
and in the Cosmos things went wierdsly
Somebody took my spare rib
in beautiful downtown Bonesteel
And while wandering through Tripp
I slipped right on a banana peel
It reminds me of the time
I lost my footing in Hand County
Toronto is so pretty
with them blue jays and royal Mounties
Oh South Dakota home sweet home
There’s always something going
No matter where you roam
From Igloo down to Norway Center
Olivet to Nunda
When I look at your big blue sky
My heart is filled with wunda
Oh South Dakota home sweet home…
In Epiphany I got a big idea
or was it in Eureka?
I lost sight of it in Plainsview
in Scenic I caught another peek-uh
There’s always more to do
when you’re spending time in Nunda
Agar might sound horrible
but its really kind of funda
I lost my favorite cap
while traveling through Fedora
I lost my socks in Argyle
and my stars outside Aurora
I burned up several things
while snorkeling in Hot Springs
In Weta I felt beta
in Castlerock I felt like a king
[CHORUS]
I choked on a pork loin sandwich
at a truck stop in Old Ham
The oyster stew in Pearl Springs
made me happy as a clam
On certain days in Picnic Falls
it rains tavern by the bowl
And some times near corn creek
It rains Aunt Selma’s casserole
