Contestants may enter one of two ways:

By submitting their acapella rendition of the National Anthem to Richmond International Raceway electronically (via e-mail to ririnfo@rir.com) or on CD (via mail to Richmond International Raceway, Attn: National Anthem Contest, 600 E. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, VA 23222). Submissions must be received by August 6.

2) Attend open auditions at Short Pump Town Center on Friday, August 6, at 6:00 p.m. Contestants will be required to perform a song of their choice on stage for judging. Spaces are limited for the open auditions, so contestants are urged to submit their National Anthem rendition prior, in order to secure a spot in the competition on August 13^th or 20^th.

This summer has been brutal! The heat and lack of rainfall have my viburnum looking droopy, our three year old Kousa dogwood (grown from a seedling) is wilting in the garden and my pride and joy, a Chocolate Summer mimosa, almost succumbed. But you can have tons of beautiful summer color in the sunniest, hottest spots around your yard with portulaca or moss rose. These tough, but lovely natives of the arid parts of South America can't be beat for ease of maintenance and they'll reward your occasional watering and twice-a-season fertilizing with an almost endless supply of summer color.

This is a picture of one of the small beds next to our pool deck. They get no shade and we only water them when they begin to wilt (about once a week) yet they reward us with color like this almost all summer long; red, pink, yellow, orange, white, fuchsia and bicolors!

I tried starting plants from seed this year, but failed miserably. However, Lowe's, Great Big Green Greenhouse, Boulevard Flowers and a bunch of other places had the plants in a myriad of colors later in the spring. Plant them where they'll get lots of sunshine in just about any soil (except heavy clay - they don't like to be wet for long). They're one of the few plants that do well in those strawberry pots with the little pockets on the side and once they grow a bit and start to cascade, they look great in hanging baskets. Your friends will think you're a gardening genius and all you did was water them occasionally.