User talk:Oliphant3

Old Time Fiddlers Convention
The Old Fiddler’s Convention in Galax, Virginia, is the “world’s largest and oldest fiddler’s convention in the world”. It has been taking place every year during the second full week in August since 1935, expect for one year during World War II. The Royal Order of the Moose, Lodge #733 of Galax, VA, was looking to raise funds for their club. To do this, a fiddler’s convention that included competitions on strings instruments and mountain traditions, which were awarded cash prizes and ribbons, was proposed. Not only was this a fundraiser but also a way to preserve mountain music heritage that is passed down from generation to generation in the Appalachian region (Burton 12-13).

On April 12, 1935 at the Galax High School Auditorium the first convention was held with the help of the Galax PTA. The categories included band competition, fiddle, guitar, banjo, dulcimer, folk song, folk story, flat foot dancing and best individual musician. The auditorium reached its capacity and hundreds of people had to be turned away at the door. As a result the Moose Lodge had another convention in October of that same year which lasted two nights instead of just one. By 1939, attendance was so high that the event moved to Felt’s Park, the town’s recreation and fair grounds. This allowed for on-site camping and all night jamming.

The fairground has a stage with stadium style seating and additional space for lawn chairs. The famous “circus-type” tent sits behind the stage. It is here where the musicians are called by loud speaker and wait their turn in line to compete. This is focal point of the festival. Along with an audience, there are 4 judges that listen to the contestants (Burton 15).

Registration is open to anyone of any age. However, the contestant must pre-register two weeks before the festival starts (Burton 14). Registration is currently done by downloading a pdf file from the convention website.

The contest categories have now expanded to: bluegrass fiddle, old time fiddle, youth fiddle, dobro, dulcimer, mandolin, bluegrass banjo, clawhammer banjo, bluegrass band, old time band, folk song, and flat foot competitions (web). The festival starts on a Sunday evening, with two or three competitions each night. Competitions do not start until 6p.m. each evening. The festival wraps up with an awards ceremony that begins after the last old time band performs in the early hours of the following Sunday (web).

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