CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Our American Story

PICTURED performing at the White House in 2009: East Los Angeles, California-based Mexican American rock band Los Lobos (“The Wolves”), composed of musicians David Hidalgo, Louis Pérez, Cesar Rosas, Conrad Lozano, and Steve Berlin. Los Lobos formed in 1973 and rose to international stardom in 1987 after their version of “La Bamba” peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in the United Kingdom, as well as several other countries. In 2015, they were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They were inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2018 and the California Hall of Fame in 2024. They have been nominated for twelve Grammy Awards and have won four. In 2021, Los Lobos became a recipient of the National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States government’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

The 250th anniversary of our nation is not only a time to look back, but also to look forward. Many see 2026 as an opportunity to confront the country’s imperfections while honoring its resilience. Conversations about democracy, equality, and freedom are as vital today as they were in 1776.

Join the conversation.

We want to know what being an American means to you. What are your hopes for our nation’s future? 

Send us your American story in essay form, as an original poem, or composed in lyrics to a song—all for consideration of publication in The Payson Chronicle in the weeks leading up to America’s 250th birthday celebration. 

Send your submission to paysonchronicle@gmail.com, or submit in person or by mail at 145 East Utah Avenue #5, Payson, Utah 84651.