The Mountain City Fiddlers’ Convention has been running along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina since 1925, building and serving the local community all the while. It has been managed by various service organizations and individuals over the years, but since the COVID shutdowns it has become a project of The Kody Norris Show.
Unlike many similar events in the region, the Mountain City convention blends a traditional bluegrass festival with the competition, and the 2026 running featured music on Friday, October 3, from Denim & Plaid, The Kody Norris Show and Lonesome River Band. Saturday during the day saw the many contestants cross the stage, before performances by Remedy Tree, Carson Peters & Iron Mountain, and Riders in the Sky.
The top award of Grand Champion Fiddlers went to 16-year-old Hollace Oakes of Snowville, VA, who competed last year in the youth division, taking second place.
Well done, Hollace!
The complete list of winners includes:
Youth Guitar
- 1st Place: Zane Lewis — Shady Valley, TN
- 2nd Place: Isaac William Eggers — Zionville, NC
Youth Banjo
- 1st Place: Isaac William Eggers — Zionville, NC
- 2nd Place: Jase Owen Smith — Gaffney, SC
Youth Mandolin
- 1st Place: Isaac William Eggers — Zionville, NC
- 2nd Place: Jeremiah Bates — Hartsville, TN
Youth Fiddle
- 1st Place: Macy Stevens — Granite Falls, NC
- 2nd Place: Hank Russell Norris — Elizabethton, TN
- 3rd Place: Jeremiah Bates — Hartsville, TN
Youth Band
- 1st Place: Hail Mary
- 2nd Place: Stateline Ramblers
Folk Song
- 1st Place: Chase A. Willis-Johnson — Todd, NC
- 2nd Place: Ava Burck — Boone, NC
- 3rd Place: Audrey Neal — Johnson City, TN
Adult Guitar
- 1st Place: Hudson Mikeal — Crumpler, NC
- 2nd Place: Alex Edwards — Johnson City, TN
- 3rd Place: Grayden Shepherd — West Jefferson, NC
Adult Banjo
- 1st Place: Griffin Domby — Kingsport, TN
- 2nd Place: Claire Childress — Wise, VA
- 3rd Place: Ashton Moore — Enterprise, AL
Adult Mandolin
- 1st Place: Charlie Tolbert — Purlear, NC
- 2nd Place: Hudson Mikeal — Crumpler, NC
- 3rd Place: Claire Childress — Wise, VA
Adult Fiddle
- 1st Place: Hollace Oakes — Snowville, VA
- 2nd Place: Cody Bauer — Knoxville, TN
- 3rd Place: Asa Nelson — Johnson City, TN
Adult Band
- 1st Place: Buffalo Mountain Boys
- 2nd Place: The Mountaineers
- 3rd Place: Briar Creek Boys
Congratulations, one and all!
