Songs, Stories, and BINGO for Veterans: Bubba Startz Takes The Scene Projects to the Wild West Songwriters Festival in Deadwood

You know the songs. This weekend, you can meet the people who wrote them — and help save a veteran's life while you're at it.

The 15th annual Wild West Songwriters Festival takes over Historic Deadwood, South Dakota, Thursday, October 15 through Saturday, October 17, 2026, and The Scene Projects is going all in. Executive Producer and 2024 Content Creator of the Year Bubba Startz will be performing in the festival, hosting writer's rounds, interviewing artists for REEL BIZ, and running a BINGO fundraiser for Operation Combating Veteran Suicide at Lil's on Saturday, October 17 at 5 p.m.

If you're anywhere near the Black Hills this weekend, this is where you want to be.

The Festival: Nashville Hits, Deadwood Rooms, Free Admission

The Wild West Songwriters Festival has earned a reputation as one of the best-kept secrets in American music. The Deadwood Chamber & Visitors Bureau bills it as one of the "best live music festivals for fans" and one of the "top ten songwriter's festivals you don't want to miss" — and once you sit in on a writer's round, you understand why.

Here's the format: the songwriters behind country radio's biggest hits sit side by side in intimate saloons, casinos, and bars along Main Street, trading songs and telling the stories of how each one came to life. These are songs that have sold millions worldwide, performed by the people who wrote them, in rooms where you're close enough to see the chord changes.

The 2026 lineup includes writers who have penned or co-written hits like "She's Country" (Jason Aldean), "That's Why I Pray" (Big & Rich), "Never Wanted Nothing More" (Kenny Chesney), and "International Harvester" (Craig Morgan), with catalogs reaching artists including Tim McGraw, Florida Georgia Line, Brooks & Dunn, and Gretchen Wilson. Announced national writers include Danny Myrick, Sarah Buxton, Ronnie Bowman, Bridgette Tatum, and Tim James, alongside a deep bench of local and regional talent. Full artist bios live on the festival's Featured, Contestants, and Black Hills pages.

The essentials:

• Dates: October 15–17, 2026

• Writer's rounds: Free, starting at noon each day at venues throughout Historic Deadwood (full schedule)

• Friday night: Local Songwriters' Jam at Deadwood Tobacco Co.

• Saturday finale: National Songwriters' Showcase at Deadwood Mountain Grand Event Center, 8:30 p.m. — just $10 at the door or online (under 21 must be accompanied by an adult)

• Bonus: Additional free rounds from Trails of Tales and ticketed, intimate sessions through The Art of Song

The festival also hosts its third annual Regional Songwriting Contest, where 14 selected writers earn a spot in the National Songwriting Rounds alongside world-renowned writers. The grand prize: $2,500 cash and an invitation to perform at Wild Bill Days 2026. For emerging writers in the Dakotas and beyond, that's a career-making stage.

Bubba's Weekend: Playing, Hosting, and Telling the Stories Behind the Songs

Most media outlets cover a festival from the back of the room. The Scene Projects covers it from the stage.

Bubba isn't just in Deadwood to watch. He'll be performing as part of the festival, hosting writer's rounds, and sitting down with artists for interviews that will feed The Scene Projects network and REEL BIZ — the show built on uncovering the business, the grind, and the human story behind the people who create for a living.

That's a natural fit. Writer's rounds are, at their core, the same thing REEL BIZ does every week: get a creator in a room, ask how the work actually got made, and let the story carry. A hit song is intellectual property. It's a royalty stream, a publishing deal, a co-write that paid off years after it happened. The songwriters in Deadwood this weekend are some of the most successful independent creative entrepreneurs in America — and most fans have no idea what they look like.

As the founder of the Midwest Original Music Organization, Bubba has spent years championing original music from the heartland. Bringing that lens to Deadwood — where national hitmakers share the bill with Black Hills writers — is exactly the kind of bridge-building that defines The Scene Projects. It's the same approach we took at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip this August for our first REEL BIZ Travel feature: we don't review places from a desk. We go. We stand in the crowd. Then we tell you whether it's worth your time. (Fittingly, the Buffalo Chip is also one of this year's festival sponsors.)

Follow along all weekend on the REEL BIZ YouTube channel, and catch the artist conversations as they roll out on Apple Podcasts and at reelbiz.thesceneprojects.com

Saturday, 5 p.m.: BINGO for Veterans at Lil's

Here's the part of the weekend that matters most.

On Saturday, October 17 at 5 p.m., Bubba will host a BINGO fundraiser for Operation Combating Veteran Suicide (OCVS) at Lil's, the bar and grill on the third floor of the historic Midnight Star at 677 Main Street in Deadwood.

The timing is ideal. Catch afternoon writer's rounds, head up to Lil's for BINGO and dinner, then walk over to Deadwood Mountain Grand for the 8:30 p.m. Songwriters' Showcase. That's a full Saturday in Deadwood that does some good along the way.

Why It Matters: 22 a Day

Bubba serves as Director of Marketing and PR for OCVS, and this cause is personal for The Scene Projects network.

According to OCVS, an average of 22 veterans die by suicide every day. The organization was founded by veterans, for veterans, and its mission is to reduce that number by tackling the problems that so often sit underneath the crisis: housing instability, mental health access, and employment. OCVS emphasizes breaking the stigma around mental health, building peer support, and giving veterans the tools to take charge of their own futures — tailored, long-term support, not a one-time handout.

Every BINGO card on Saturday night goes toward that work. It's a simple, fun, low-pressure way to make a direct impact — and in a town built on games of chance, it fits right in.

Can't Make It to Deadwood? You Can Still Help

• Donate directly: Give to the OCVS Annual Donation Drive on Zeffy, where 100% of your donation goes to the nonprofit

• Explore upcoming events: oc-vs.com/events

• Become a sponsor: oc-vs.com/sponsors

• Follow and share: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube

• Call OCVS: (605) 418-6649

• Veterans needing housing, mental health, or employment help can request assistance here

If you or a veteran you love is in crisis right now, contact the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

About Lil's at the Midnight Star

If you've never been, Lil's is worth the trip on its own. The Midnight Star is one of the most recognizable buildings on Historic Main Street — its sweeping grand staircase was designed by Kevin Costner's team during their years owning the property. Lil's sits on the third floor with a long bar, a casual menu known for wings and award-winning chili, and windows looking down over Main Street.

Getting there: Lil's has its own entrance and stairs, so you don't have to walk through the casino floor. It's also wheelchair accessible via the Midnight Star's elevator next to the Star Bar. Questions? Call the Midnight Star at (605) 578-1555.

Make a Weekend of It

Deadwood in mid-October is the Black Hills at their best — crisp air, fall color in the gulch, and a town where the entire city is a National Historic Landmark District. Between rounds, walk Main Street, pay respects to Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane at Mount Moriah Cemetery, or try your luck at one of the town's 20-plus casinos.

Lodging fills fast on festival weekends, so book now. Start with the Deadwood Chamber's lodging guide or Travel South Dakota, and grab a free Deadwood visitor guide before you go.

Follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram, and keep an eye on Historic Deadwood for weekend updates.

See You in Deadwood

This is what The Scene Projects is built for: showing up where the stories live, putting creators in the spotlight they've earned, and using the platform to move the needle for causes that matter. Great songs, great songwriters, and a room full of people at Lil's on Saturday night raising money so more veterans make it home for good.

Come for the hits. Stay for the stories. And bring a few extra bucks for BINGO.

Saturday, October 17 · 5 p.m. · Lil's at the Midnight Star · 677 Main Street, Deadwood, SD

Want more stories behind the businesses, brands, and creators we cover? Watch REEL BIZ on YouTube, listen on Apple Podcasts, and explore every pillar — including REEL BIZ Travel — at reelbiz.thesceneprojects.com. Learn more about The Scene Projects network at thesceneprojects.com.