It’s ‘Bluebonnet in Bloom’; send us your photo and win our contest!

FROM MY FRONT PORCH

It’s ‘Bluebonnet in Bloom’; send us your photo and win our contest!

SAM HOUSTON

Sam Houston is the publisher of the Hood County News. He is also an actor, author, playwright, performer and entertainment producer/promoter.

It is my favorite time of year, and I don’t think I am the only person who feels that way. We live in Texas, and it is time for the bluebonnets to bloom! This means thousands, if not millions of people will seek out bluebonnets that have bloomed, and take photos.

Over the years I have seen a great many bluebonnet photos. Some are of whole families, some of children, occasionally of the family pet in a patch of bluebonnets, and sometimes simply a beautiful Texas landscape photo that includes bluebonnets.

The bluebonnet is our state flower, and other than a cowboy hat and the “lone star,” I know of no other symbol that says “Texas” more than bluebonnets.

With this important rite of spring upon us, and in order to celebrate the event, we decided to have a contest at each one of our newspaper outlets. All our staff believed readers would be as excited about “Bluebonnets in Bloom” as we are. Starting the week of March 20, we are asking folks to send us their favorite bluebonnet photo. It does not have to be taken this year, so you can use an older photograph as well as those taken this year. Go to your newspaper’s website and click on the link to the “Bluebonnets in Bloom.” You can upload your photo and will then be entered in our “Bluebonnets in Bloom” contest.

When you submit your entry, it will appear as part of the “bluebonnets gallery” on the newspaper’s website, making all entries available for viewing to the public. Beginning the week of March 20, the newspaper will select a weekly winner, and will select additional weekly winners for a period of five weeks.

Each weekly winner will receive a “Bluebonnets in Bloom” T shirt, recognition on the newspaper’s social media sites and website, and a free one-year subscription to the newspaper. At the end of the five weeks of weekly winners, a Grand Prize will be awarded and the winner shall receive $100 cash, a Bluebonnet T-shirt, and a one-year free subscription to the newspaper. The winning photo will adorn the front page of your newspaper!

We hope you have a great time seeing some tremendous entries. I am sure some will make you smile because of their jocularity, and others will take your breath away because of their beauty. I am looking forward to seeing them all and eventually announcing the grand prize winner. Tell your friends, dig out those old photos, go and take new photos — but let’s have some fun and show how Texans feel about their beloved bluebonnets.

Thought for the day: If heaven does not have a large blooming field of bluebonnets, not sure I want to go.

Until next time I will keep ridin’ the storm out.

sam@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066, ext. 260