Next week is the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest and Festival in Weiser, Idaho — do you have your tickets yet? The contest and festival goes all week long starting on Monday the 20th and ending with the Grand National Championship Finals on Saturday night at the Weiser High School Gymnasium. The festival goes all week long as well has fun events such as crafts, foods, entertainment, a kids day on Thursday and a parade on Saturday which will be loads of fiddlin’ fun for the entire family taking place at Bluegrass Village (City Park) under the shaded trees.
This is the 59th year of the National Oldtime Fiddlers’s Contest in the Fiddling Capital of the World, Weiser, Idaho. The contest was the brain child of Blaine Stubblefield, the Chamber of Commerce’s Secretary, which was proposed to be a competition that that could be held during the Annual Weiser Square Dance Festival. Instead it was given it’s own title as the Northwest Mountain Fiddlers’ Contest and ten years later in 1963, the competition was inaugurated and has been going strong ever since with almost 350 contestants and eight divisions every year. You can purchase your tickets at select D&B Supply stores or click here for additional ticket details.
If you are a member of the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Association (NOFA) you are able to participate in the workshops that happen during the week for $10 each, $20 if you are not a member. The workshops are not limited to just fiddler players though, there are workshops for guitar, tenor guitar and mandolin players as well.
The stage events happening at Bluegrass Village start in the late morning and go through the early evening to keep your feet tappin’ and your ears happy all day long. The Battle of The Bands competition will start right after the parade on Saturday and include bands such as The Norht Idaho Hat Band, Hotwire and Jonathan Warren and the Billy Goats.
Here is a fun idea:
If you want to camp out under the stars, go to Fiddletown Campground behind Weiser High School where jam sessions will go all night long. Come watch the show on Friday night, spend the night in the campground, then on Saturday go to the parade, visit Bluegrass Village and the Battle of the Bands, go to the contest on Saturday night at the High School and then spend the night and leave Sunday morning. This is an experience of a life time.
Good luck to all the contestants this year. Your hard work, dedication and rich musical talent goes deep into our hearts and souls, we appreciate every single note.
