Ole Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Festival

Ole Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Festival

May, Memorial Day Weekend

A festival for genuinely old-time fiddlers, the Ole Time Fiddlers and Bluegrass Festival is held at Fiddler's Grove Campground in Union Grove, N.C. The festival was organized in 1970 by Harper A. Van Hoy as a serious musical venture, and admission is limited to 5,000 people to attract those who want to hear what Van Hoy has called the "purest mountain music this side of the Mississippi."
A special contest category is for fiddlers who must meet these criteria: they are over 55 years old, have had no formal musical training, and have learned from fiddlers older than themselves. There are competitions for all the major instruments of traditional American music, including autoharp, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, and mandolin. Workshops are conducted for most of the instruments played in competition, as well as in shape-note singing, storytelling, clog dancing, and children's folk music. Additionally, there are arts and crafts and food.

CONTACTS:
Fiddler's Grove Inc.
P.O. Box 364
Sherrills Ford, NC 28673
828-478-3735
www.fiddlersgrove.com

SOURCES:
MusFestAmer-1990, p. 246