Staff Report

ROCKFORD – As our region continues to stay home and safe, the Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is increasing its interactive online program options with the announcement of Stay Home Songs, a free community songwriting contest for all ages and genres now through April 24.

The Rockford region is home to exceptionally talented musicians, and this contest seeks to shine light on the creative excellence and strength of our community.

The winning song, which will embody the resiliency of the Rockford area, will be selected by RACVB’s expert judges panel of local musicians by the end of the month. Our judges include Jodi Beach of the Jodi Beach Trio, Vince Chiarelli of The Vince Chiarelli Band, Duntai Mathews of SOAR Radio, Miles Nielsen of Miles Nielsen and The Rusted Hearts, and Antonio Ramirez of Domingos en el Parque.

The winning songwriter will receive a $200 gift card to a local restaurant or local retailer of her/his choice, and may be featured as part of future RACVB tourism marketing platforms.

“As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we’re evolving with our community—we will remain a comprehensive resource center for our tourism partners, and we’re also doing our best to provide programming options for virtual interaction and connection,” said John Groh, RACVB president/CEO. “We can all stay connected via social media channels, webinars and online, and Stay Home Songs offers another opportunity for community engagement, a little healthy competition and civic pride.”

All Winnebago County-based songwriters, musicians or bands are eligible to submit one (1) original song entry no more than three minutes in length.

Completed song submissions must include files or private YouTube links and the  signed Acknowledgement of Contest Guidelines emailed to Social@GoRockford.com by 5 p.m. Friday, April 24.

Complete contest information is available on the Interactive tab of RACVB’s COVID-19 Resource Center athttps://www.gorockford.com/resource-center/interactive/.

In addition to Stay Home Songs, the Interactive tab also features: “What’s Cooking at Home?”, a recipe share and dish demonstration platform showcasing the culinary talents of local restaurants; a Virtual Fitness center; Virtual Tours of venues; and the Rockford Coloring Book. RACVB encourages sites, attractions and entertainment partners to contact the CVB at Social@GoRockford.com to add to our interactive content.