Attention pickers and bluegrass music fans!
There is now going to be a Fiddler’s Convention in the Northeast US! The first ever Northeast Fiddler’s Convention will be June 9, 2018, from 10:00 a.m. to midnight at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. There will be pickin’ contests with cash prizes in fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and dobro. There will also be workshops and lots of places for jam sessions.
“All day pickin is encouraged! Participation is preservation, “said organizer Jim Wright about the new festival, and his sincere desire to encourage people to learn about and play bluegrass and old time music. Another of the festival organizers is Matt Downing, who explained that they were inspired by many of the southern fiddler’s conventions in Virginia and North Carolina such as the Galax Fiddler’s Convention and the Mt. Airy Fiddler’s Convention.
As well as the pickin’ contests there will also be some great old style bands like Bill and the Belles, a Square Dance called by Nils Fredland and a number of workshops on a variety of instruments and styles. There will also be Farm to Table foods available all day and well into the evening on site for purchase to keep the festival goers full and happy.
The festival will take place in an authentic old Shaker Village called the Hancock Shaker Village, which was founded by the Shakers in the 1780s. It is now a museum with 20 authentic buildings and a working farm. While at the festival, folks can also take tours and check out the exhibits and learn about the Shakers and their music and history as well.
Tickets for the festival are on sale now from their website. The organizers stress that folks should go and register for the contests soon as well. There will be limited spaces in the competitions and while they hope to include lots of folks, the best way to guarantee one’s spot in the contests is to be pre-registered. This is sure to be a fun event for the whole family. There will be lots of pickin’, grinnin’, lovely views, great music, dancing, and fine folks. Tell all those you might know who might be interested so they can be there and be a part of making history at the First Annual Northeast Fiddler’s Convention!
