Mt. Pleasant Lions host annual Bland Music Scholarship Competition

By Debbie Adams
Mt. Pleasant Lions Club members hosted their annual James Bland Music Scholarship
Competition on Feb. 25 in the sanctuary at South Roanoke United Methodist Church.
Four local students performed in the competition— Keya Vishal Patel, Amirah Salam Rasoul,
Bella Payne, and Aanya Vishal Patel.

Keya won third place in the instrumental division performing “Hunter’s Chorus” by Carl Maria
Von Weber on the violin. She is 10 years old and a student at Community School. She was
accompanied by Kim Mucha.

Amirah won second place in instrumentals, playing “Für Elise” by Ludwig van Beethoven on the
grand piano. She is 13 years old and a student at Community School.

Bella, a mezzo soprano, won first place in vocals, singing “Never Enough” from the film, “The
Greatest Showman.” She is 12 years old and a student at Community School. She was
accompanied by Kim Mucha.

Aanya won first place in instrumentals, playing “Minuet” by Luigi Boccherini on the violin,
accompanied by Kim Mucha. She is13 years old, also a student at Community School.

First place winners will advance to the district competition on March 10. Winners there advance
to the state competition.

The Mt. Pleasant Lions Bland Music Scholarship Competition was facilitated by Lion Warren
Burger. Emcee for the event was Lion Mike Ferguson.

Judges for the afternoon were Adele Carliss, a music educator for over 25 years. Her teaching
positions include institutions such as the University of South Alabama and Raritan Valley
Community College. She also has served as Director of Music at various school music programs
teaching piano, voice, and chorus. She formerly served as president of the Roanoke Valley
Music Teachers Association. She is a chorister with St. Andrew’s Basilica Choir and the
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. She has a Master of Science degree and is a certified music
teacher.

Shelbie Wahl-Fouts is an associate professor of music, Director of Choral Activities, and music
department chair at Hollins University. She conducts the Concert Choir and the Talmadge
Singers and teaches several classes. She conducts the Roanoke Valley Chamber Orchestra. She
earned degrees from Ball State University, Butler University, and DePauw University.

Ferguson shared various facts about the Bland Competition, the International Lions, and the local
Mt. Pleasant Lions Club, as well as his “Dad Jokes” during interludes while the judges were
scoring the student performances. One contestant, who apparently had met Ferguson before,
asked him to perform the traditional Mt. Pleasant Lions’ song, “Just a Bowl of Butterbeans.”

Lions Club International is the largest service organization in the world, founded in Chicago in
1917 by businessman Melvin Jones. The name “Lions Club” was chosen to signify boldness, and
what could be bolder than the king of the jungle.

Three short years later the Lions Club expanded into Canada and then around the world. In 1925
Helen Keller challenged the Lions to become champions of the blind. That inspired over a
century of vision-related service activities.

Each year the Mt. Pleasant Lions assist with vision screenings for local students in grades K, 1st ,
3rd , and 5th with touchless SPOT machines that can detect five different eye abnormalities from
just three feet away. If the screening indicates a potential sight problem, the Lions pass printouts
on to the school nurse to notify the parents. They also collect used eyeglasses which are cleaned,
sorted, and shipped around the world to those who need them.

The Mt. Pleasant Lions Club was founded in 1961 at the urging of Annie B. Stiff, who thought
Mt. Pleasant needed a civic organization. They built their own building, and meet on a monthly
basis in the Lions’ Den.

The Lions sponsor shopping trips for Mount Pleasant and Garden City Elementary Schools
students before school opens and at Christmas. They provide weekend food for children through
the Pack-a-Snack program.

They perform roadside clean-up of Sterling Road and maintain the historic Kefauver Cemetery.
The Lions have even been known to help elderly neighbors get rid of pest infestations and stack
firewood.

Ferguson also shared the origins of the Bland Music Scholarship Foundation, named for
composer and musician James Bland from the late 1800s, who wrote the former state song of
Virginia, “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” and over 600 others. The scholarship foundation is
meant as a living memorial to Bland while encouraging and supporting musically gifted youth in
Virginia.