National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival

Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival, National

Third full week in JuneThe National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival is a major musical event in the United States, held for a full week in Weiser, Idaho, where fiddling was first heard in 1863. A way station was established that year at Weiser, and people traveling through in covered wagons stopped for rest and recreational fiddling. In 1914, the first fiddling contest was held, but interest petered out until 1953 when Blaine Stubblefield, a fiddle fan and member of the local chamber of commerce, initiated a fiddling competition. In 1963, in conjunction with Idaho's Centennial, the competition officially became the National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest.
Awards are given for the national champion in several categories; this is big-time fiddling, with contestants having won their spot through competitions in other states. Besides music, there is a fiddlers parade, street dancing, and sing-alongs; another attraction is the National Fiddlers' Hall of Fame here. Attendance is about 10,000.
CONTACTS:
National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest and Festival
115 W. Idaho
Weiser, ID 83672
208-414-0255; fax: 208-414-0256
www.fiddlecontest.com
SOURCES:
GdUSFest-1984, p. 45
MusFestAmer-1990, p. 241