Fiddle Contest to take place at American West Heritage Center

The American West Heritage Center invites fiddlers and folk musicians of all ages to participate in the annual Heritage Old-Time Fiddle Contest, to take place during the Heritage Center’s Fall Harvest Festival, Oct. 20-21. The contest will not only feature old time fiddling, but will also hold competitions for banjo, mandolin and guitar as well. After Aug. 1, the contestant registration form and fiddle contest rules (based on Winfield Rules) will be available to download from the Heritage Center’s website: www.awhc.org . Prizes will be awarded to all winners in each division. Participants must pre-register for this competition.

Categories for fiddlers will include (1) Pee Wee Division (under age 8), (2) Small Fry Division (8 – 11), (3) Junior Division (12-16), (4) Adult Division. There are also open categories for Guitar, Mandolin and Banjo.

Participants will each be given a prearranged time slot of seven minutes in which to perform that they will know before the event. Each will play three songs: (1) a hoedown, (2) a waltz, and (3) a tune of the contestant’s choice. Participants will have 7 minutes each. Entrance fees are $8 for Pee Wee, Small Fry and Junior Divisions and $11 for all other divisions.

The Fall Harvest Festival, in which the competition will take place, will also feature a carnival, the Bear River Heritage Area Fair, live folk music, the American West Art Show, and other family-friendly, living history, and demonstration events.

For more information, contact David Sidwell: dsidwell@awhc.org .