For the seventh consecutive year, DTC3 will televise the Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree LIVE, from kickoff through the fiddle off.
The 47th annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival is coming up Friday and Saturday, July 6-7, on the courthouse square in downtown Smithville. 35 categories of competition will be held over the course of the two-day event, which kicks off Friday morning at 9 a.m. 16 categories will be held on Friday, which include the following:
- OLD-TIME APPALACHIAN FOLKSINGING (Solo)
- JUNIOR CLOGGING (Ages 13 – 39)
- JUNIOR BUCKDANCING (Ages 13 – 39)
- OLD-TIME APPALACHIAN FOLKSINGING (Duet, Trio, Quartet)
- DOBRO GUITAR
- MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
- HAMMER DULCIMER
- NOVELTY EVENT (Spoon Clacking, Jug Blowing, Washboard, Tub, Saws)
- AUTOHARP
- GOSPEL SINGING (Solo)
- COUNTRY HARMONICA
- OLD-TIME BANJO
- YOUTH SQUARE DANCING (4 Couples – 8 Total Dancers)
- GOSPEL SINGING (Duet, Trio and Quartet)
- MANDOLIN
- OLD-TIME FIDDLE BAND
Finals for each of Friday’s 16 categories will follow the preliminaries. Also featured on Friday will be a special performance by the Smithville Community Chorus.
The competition will resume on Saturday at 9:00 a.m., featuring the following categories:
- JUNIOR OLD-TIME APPALACHIAN FLATFOOT DANCE (Ages 0-39)
- SENIOR OLD-TIME APPALACHIAN FLATFOOT DANCE (Ages 40 +)
- SENIOR BUCKDANCING (Ages 40 +)
- SENIOR CLOGGING (Ages 40 +)
- BLUEGRASS BANJO
- JUNIOR FIDDLERS (Ages 13-39)
- FLAT TOP GUITAR
- CONTEST FIDDLE (Neil Dudney Award)
- BLUEGRASS BAND
- SENIOR FIDDLERS (Ages 40 + Over)
- SQUARE DANCING (4 Couples – 8 Total Dancers)
In addition to the regular categories of competition on Saturday, there will be seven beginner categories for those ages 12-under, known as the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners. Those categories are as follows:
- BEGINNER BUCK DANCING
- BEGINNER CLOGGING
- BEGINNER DOBRO GUITAR
- BEGINNER MANDOLIN
- BEGINNER FIVE-STRING BANJO
- BEGINNER FLAT TOP GUITAR
- BEGINNER FIDDLE
The Beginners’ competition begins after Senior Clogging. The finals in the Beginners’ categories will be held after the preliminaries. In addition to the first, second and third place awards that will be given out, two other special Beginners’ awards will also be handed out. The James G. “Bobo” Driver Award will be given out to the best Beginner Fiddler, while the Nolan Turner Best Overall Entertainer Award is given to the top overall instrumentalist in the five music categories.
Also featured on Saturday is the presentation of the Blue Blaze Award, to world-renowned bluegrass entertainer, Michael Cleveland, who will perform during the festivities. The presentation and performance will be held at 5:00 p.m on Saturday. Cleveland has won more International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards than any other fiddle player, including 10 wins for Fiddle Player of the Year, six wins for Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year, and has been the front man for the five-time Instrumental Group of the Year. On March 30th, Michael was inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree will conclude on Saturday night, with the Grand Championship Fiddle Off, as the Junior and Senior Fiddle champions compete for the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award.
DTC3 will have LIVE, wall-to-wall coverage of the event, from kickoff to the Fiddle Off. Watch it LIVE on DTC channel 3 (channel 303 in HD), or online at www.dtc3.tv.
For more information on the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, log on to www.fiddlersjamboree.com.
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