Did anyone besides me attend the convention?
Well, no, but I’d bet my friends did. I guess that doesn’t count.
No…Where is Galax, VA? I live in VA (upper) and have never heard of it. What was the fiddler’s convention?
Galax is in southwest VA, about an hour’s drive from the southern border, or an hour and 1/2 drive from Roanoke via interstates 81 and 77. The Old Fiddler’s Convention is one of the oldest music conventions in the country, having just finished its 67th edition. Unlike a lot of bluegrass/old-time conventions where you go to see big-name groups, this one is composed of competions between more locally oriented bands. I’m not sure what the qualifications for entry are, but you’ll never see, say, Blue Highway or Ralph Stanley perform there. There are solo instrument competions in every thing from bluegrass banjo to duclimer to autoharp and even dance.
The best way to experience the convention, however, is to roam among the many campers and trailers that set up every year, looking for those who have gotten together to jam, often late into the night. It’s really cool to be able to get so close, and lots of great music can be found. We always look for people from previous years that we remember fondly.
I was honored to be able to assist in the founding of the North American Old Tyme Fiddlers’ Association Hall of Fame in Osceola, NY (it’s due east of Redfield, if you were wondering;)). [I’m not a fiddler, but worked for the state agency that agreed to provide help on the legal details.]
I presume this is the NAOTFA annual event; I remember driving down the beautiful panoramic descent from the Blue Ridge along I-77 and seeing signs for Galax, so I was aware where it is.
I live in fairfax, and for the life of me I sometimes feel as though my little county is the center of the world. I guess it is nice to know it isn’t and that there are other places that are different than fairfax-right in my own state!
Yes, I do need to travel more. It’s funny, I’ve been to the Caymen Islands, yet I haven’t explored all of VA yet…
Cool! When I was seven or eight, I performed at the Convention under an assumed name.
I used to play fiddle at street fairs to pay for my fiddle lessons, and a friend of my parents was going to the convention. Some member of their group, Jimmy or something, had to drop out, so they gave me his spot.
All I remember about it is the ubiquitous mud, the hay bales, and playing “She’ll be Coming 'Round the Mountain” on a stage with a bunch of people about five or six times older than me. Supposedly I was the youngest performer that year.
And I haven’t heard about the convention since.
Daniel
Although Burundi is tres cool and is operating under an assumed name, she never played at a fiddle convention as a child. If she has, she hasn’t told me.
Stupid usernames!
Daniel