JULY 30, 2009 ISSUE
Rosin Up Your Bow—Fiddlers’ Conventions Are Here!
MerleFest may signal the beginning of festival season, but true old-time music fans don’t really begin to stir until after the 4th of July, when fiddlers’ convention season swings into action.
From covered stages at festival grounds and gazebos in town parks, fiddlers young and old step up to the microphone and test their mettle as crowds enjoy the sweet strains of songs that have been echoing throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains for more than a century.
And while there is often prize money on the line at fiddlers’ conventions, it’s the bragging rights of being an instrumental champion that coax musicians to the stage. In addition to fiddlers, most competitions feature contests for guitar, banjo and mandolin, as well as old-time and bluegrass band contests.
In its 74th year, the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention is one of the oldest events of its kind, drawing thousands of spectators to Southern Virginia each year before the second weekend of August. And while still comparatively in its infant stages, the Historic Happy Valley Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention continues to grow each year, proving that fiddlers’ conventions are far from being a thing of the past.
Pack your kids in the car with a few folding chairs and a blanket and spend a late summer afternoon enjoying one of any number of historic conventions in the area.
39th Annual Ashe County Fiddlers’ Convention
Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1
Ashe County Park—Jefferson
The Ashe County Bluegrass and Old-Time Fiddlers Convention invites all to enjoy toe-tappin’ music in the cool mountain air this Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, at Ashe Park in Jefferson. The park is located at 527 Ashe Park Road.
The expanded Friday and Saturday night event will feature some of the best musicians in the region. The convention, now in its 39th year, has competitions for bluegrass and old-time musicians in band, individual and youth categories, along with an adult folk song competition and a dance competition for all ages. More than $3,600 in prize money is up for grabs.
Sponsored by the Jefferson Rotary Club, the family-friendly event will have plenty of food, fun and fiddling. Bring a chair or blanket and a sweater for the cool evening temperatures. Limited camping is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Ticket are $10 each night or $15 for weekend passes. Children 12 and under enter free. Proceeds from the event will benefit local high school graduate scholarships and other projects through the Jefferson Rotary Club.
For more information, click to www.AsheFiddlers.com, call 336-977-1427 or email AsheFiddlers@yahoo.com.
74th Annual Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention
Monday to Saturday, August 3 to 8
Felts Park—Galax, Va.
The Old Fiddlers’ Convention in Galax will return to Felts Park from Monday to Saturday, August 3 to 8. The legendary event features competitions for old-time and bluegrass fiddle, Dobro, mandolin, clawhammer and bluegrass banjo, dulcimer, guitar and autoharp. Other competitions will be held in bluegrass and old-time band, as well as in flatfoot dancing.
Cash prizes will be up for grabs in each of the many categories category.
For more information, including registration requirements, click to www.oldfiddlersconvention.com.
43rd Annual Fries Fiddlers’ and Bluegrass Convention
Friday to Sunday, August 14 to 16
Fries Town Park—Fries, Va.
Sponsored by the Fries Volunteer Fire Department, the 43rd Annual Fiddlers’ and Bluegrass Convention will take place on Friday evening from 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Music will kick off at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday and last well into the evening.
Admission is $5. Children 12 and under enter free with a paying adult. Camping spots are $10 per spot each night. Gates will open for campers on Thursday, August 13 at 3:00 p.m.
For more information, click to www.friesva.com.
Laurel Bloomery Fiddlers’ Convention
Friday and Saturday, August 21 and 22
Old Mill Music Park—Laurel Bloomery, Tenn.
Nearly two decades old, the Laurel Bloomery Fiddlers’ Convention takes place alongside a scenic stretch of river just north of Mountain City at the Old Mill Music Park on Friday and Saturday, August 21 and 22.
For more information, call 423-727-9595.
Historic Happy Valley Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention
Friday to Sunday, September 4 to 6
Jones Farm—Lenoir
Each year during Labor Day weekend, visitors pay homage to the legends and stories of the 28-mile Yadkin River Valley known as Historic Happy Valley at the Historic Happy Valley Old-time Fiddlers' Convention.
The convention will take place this year from Friday to Sunday, September 4 to 6, on the Jones Farm, northeast of Lenoir on N.C. Byway 268. The Jones Farm is the historic property of Tony Jones and his family, and home to the resting place of none other than Laura Foster, the famed victim of Tom Dooley.
Foster lived directly across the road from the current festival on German's Hill. Dooley, a local man who served during the Civil War, was accused of murdering Foster in 1867. The events surrounding this crime and Dooley's subsequent trial and execution live on in North Carolina's best-known murder ballad and in stories passed down through local families.
The festival will feature a number of instrument competitions with cash prizes.
For more information, click to www.happyvalleyfiddlers.com.
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