Fiddlers Convention
JOHNSON CITY – The second annual Upper East Tennessee Fiddlers Convention will take place this weekend at Flag Pond School, 4399 Old Asheville Hwy., Flag Pond.
Sponsored by East Tennessee State University’s Department of Appalachian Studies and Rocky Fork State Park with support from the Tennessee Arts Commission, this year’s event on Friday and Saturday, April 27-28, builds on the success of the inaugural convention, which drew nearly 1,000 people.
The Fiddlers Convention is a music contest with categories not just for fiddlers, but also for banjo pickers, singers, dancers and string bands.
The actual contest will be held Saturday from 1-6 p.m., with the finals beginning
at 8 p.m., followed by the awards presentation. Prize money will be given to the
top three performers in each category, with first place finishers receiving such additional
awards as a Barlow knife, a pound of streaked meat, a quart of honey and two lemons,
a box of Epsom salt, and bundles of fresh ramps. Non-monetary prizes in other categories
include a push broom, a fine umbrella, a long book, a pound of Unicoi County roasted
coffee and a box of cheese crackers. 
The event has grown to two days this year. Festivities kick off Friday at 7 p.m. with a Square Dance led by legendary dance caller Rodney Sutton, an adjunct faculty member in ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies. It will feature old-time music by the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers and a program by the Green Grass Cloggers, who, according to Andrade, have been “an institution in professional clogging since the 1970s.”
Camping has been expanded to cover the front lawn of Flag Pond School, allowing more room for campers to park. Campers and other visitors to the convention will be able to walk the grounds and listen to the music being played throughout the campground in addition to hearing the contestants’ music played inside the school building.
Festival planners expect good attendance at this year’s event, and have built on the positive feedback they received from last year’s event.
Roy Andrade, an associate professor of Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies in the Department of Appalachian Studies, said that the planning focus this year has been on the “nuts and bolts” of organization, which will ultimately enhance the longevity of the event.
“I want it to be high-quality and sustainable. I want it to be here every year,” he said. “A lot of people are excited about it. We got so much good feedback from last year, and between the Department of Appalachian Studies, Rocky Fork State Park and the Tennessee Arts Commission, we have the money to do this and make it what we want it to be aesthetically. The vibe is just wholesome, and down-home, and good.”
Tickets are $10 for adults and free for children under 10. Camping is also $10. Food will be available for purchase from several vendors and food trucks.
For more information, visit www.otfiddlersconvention.com, or email Andrade at andrade@etsu.edu or Tim Pharis of Rocky Fork State Park at tim.pharis@tn.gov. 