Conroe resident’s song nothing to mess with
Tune puts Texas take on not trashing the state, inspired by a jogger’s running list of experiences
Conroe resident Bill Thompson’s song “Sack It Up, Texas!” is in the running to represent the “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign across Texas.
Public voting took place in February. However, due to a technical error, the campaign reopened voting through 11:59 p.m. March 14.
Public voting is limited to one vote per verified e-mail address per day.
Voters are asked for their ZIP code, email and they must be a legal resident of Texas.
“The contest is an exciting way for Texans to add their voice to Don’t mess with Texas,” Becky Ozuna, program administrator for the Don’t mess with Texas campaign, said in the contest’s promotional literature. “We are seeking fresh and unique songs, written by Texans, to creatively communicate the importance of keeping our state clean and litterfree.”
The contest was open to Texan residents aged 13 and above who submitted an original song no more than 30 seconds long that included an anti-littering message and the Don’t Mess with Texas tagline.
Thompson’s journey to be a part of the contest began with inspiration from his Conroe neighbors Dr. Walter “Wally” Wilkerson and his wife, the late Neddie Jane Wilkerson. The couple would often walk from their Conroe home to downtown and pick up trash along the way.
Thompson, a walker and jogger, began to carry a bag to pick up litter himself. He calls it trash jogging, adding that he hates seeing trash on the streets.
He started his own personal anti-litter campaign. Then he saw that TxDOT was launching a Lone Star Song Search related to the topic.
Thompson, a musician, plays piano and writes music as a hobby. This contest combined two of the things he was passionate about.
He said he had an idea for what he wanted to submit. The requirements were to submit a 30second video using the phrase “Don’t Mess With Texas” and it had to have an anti-littering message.
The original deadline for contestants to submit a song was Dec. 31.
But in December his wife, Mary Margaret, became ill and he was wrapping up his retirement from Martin Chevrolet in Cleveland where he’d worked for 34 years.
With so much going on, he decided not to enter and the deadline passed.
In early January, the contest was extended and he had a second chance to submit his song.
He recorded the video at his home. The song was written very early one morning. At the time, his wife was in the hospital and he visited her, then that same evening came home and shot the video and submitted it.
Sadly his wife, Mary Margaret, died on Feb. 21.
Thompson said he’s not really that interested in the prizes being offered, but he entered the contest to submit his concept for an ad for “Don’t Mess With Texas.”
He said he wanted to give a clear message about not littering. He’d like to take his effort to the City of Conroe and develop some sort of organized anti-littering campaign with the city.
“Whenever I go running I’ve got a trash bag (to collect trash) and I’d like to inspire others to do that too,” he said.
“What I’d like to encourage people to do is ‘Don’t Mess With Texas’ and throw stuff out of your vehicle. And if you are concerned about litter help pick it up when you can and help keep our streets clean.”