Tag: Winfield

2024 Winfield competition results

Last month the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS held their annual picking championships for flatpicking guitar, finger style guitar, banjo, mandolin, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, mountain dulcimer, and old time fiddle. These are among the most prestigious instrumental competitions in all of bluegrass and old time music, and contestants come from all over the world to take part.

A big part of the draw, outside the high level of competition, is the fact that the prizes awarded are professional grade musical instruments provided by sponsors like Deering, Martin, Collins, Thompson, Bourgeois, Huss & Dalton, Taylor, and others.

But Walnut Valley isn’t just a competition festival. They also provide a star-studded stage show with top performers in bluegrass, old-time, and Americana music.

And the 2024 winners are:

National Mandolin Championship

  • Champion – Solly Burton, Graysville, IN Prize Instrument Selected: Bourgeois M5-F Mandolin – Bourgeois Guitars, Inc
  • 2nd Place – Gordon Parker, Mountain View, AR Prize Instrument Selected: N/A ($1,500 cash)
  • 3rd Place – Roman Counterman, Cincinnati, OH Prize Instrument Selected: N/A ($750 cash)
  • Runners up – Luke Lovejoy, Cloverdale, IN and Trey Roberts, Harrison, AR

Old Time Fiddle Championship

  • Champion – Jason Shaw, Lincoln, NE Prize Instrument Selected: Ming Jing ZhuHand Crafted Fiddle, provided by Beautiful Music Violin Shop
  • 2nd Place -Tashina Lindley, Mt. Shasta, CA  Prize Instrument Selected: BMVS 700 Model, provided by Beautiful Music Violin Shop
  • 3rd Place – Nathan Pednault, Crowley, TX Prize Instrument Selected: Gilga model Vasile Master Fiddle made in Romania, provided by Beautiful Music Violin Shop
  • Runners up – Tricia Spencer, Lawrence, KS and Edith Sigler, Wichita, KS

International Finger Style Guitar Championship

  • Champion – Stephen Bennett, New Cornwall, CT Prize Instrument Selected: Touchstone Series Dreadnought Guitar, provided by Bourgeois Guitars
  • 2nd Place – Mikey Bilello, Bend, OR Prize Instrument Selected:  50th Anniversary 814-ce Builder’s Edition Guitar provided by Taylor Guitars
  • 3rd Place – Hiroya Tsukamoto, Woodside, NY Prize Instrument Selected: FS Winfield Custom Guitar, provided by Huss & Dalton Guitars (Stauton, VA)
  • Runners up – Bingfan “Jason” Ji, Willetton, Western Australia, Australia and Brandon Green, Beckley, WV

National Guitar Flat Pick Championship

  • Champion – Eric Hardin, Warrensville, NC Prize Instrument Selected: D-MA Custom Guitar, provided by PK Thompson Guitars (Sisters, OR)
  • 2nd Place – Hayes Griffin, Columbus, OH Prize Instrument Selected: Winfield Model Mahogany Adirondack Guitar, provided Collings Guitar (Austin, TX)
  • 3rd Place – Luke Lovejoy, Spencer, IN Prize Instrument Selected: D-28 Modern Deluxe Guitar, provided by C.F. Martin & Company, Inc. (Nazareth, PA)
  • Runners up – Jakob Thomas, South Charleston, WV and Steve Lewis, Jefferson, NC

National Bluegrass Banjo Championship

  • Champion – Brandon Green, Beckley, WV Prize Instrument Selected: Deering Calico 5-string Banjo, provided by Deering Banjo Company
  • 2nd Place – Steven Moore, St. Clairsville, OH Prize Instrument Selected: Deering Rustic Wreath Banjo, provided by Deering Banjo Company
  • 3rd Place – Joey Gipson, Manchester, TN Prize Instrument Selected: Deering White Lotus 5-string Banjo provided by Deering Banjo Company
  • Runners up – Eric Hardin, Warrensville, NC, and Gregg Welty, Pittsburgh, PA

International Autoharp Championship

  • Champion – Ray Choi, Tustin, CA Prize Instrument Selected: Whippoorwill Acoustics Luthier’s Choice Autoharp provided by Whippoorwill Acoustics
  • 2nd Place – Lori Ann Clayton-Bethard, Kansas City, MO Prize Instrument Selected: d’Aigle Autoharps Cascade Diatonic G-D, provided by d’Aigle Autoharps
  • 3rd Place – George Haig, Dunfermline, FIFE, Scotland Prize Instrument Selected: N/A
  • Runners up – Steve Luper, Andover, KS and Michael E. Poole, Chapel Hill, NC

National Mountain Dulcimer Championship

  • Champion – Matthew Hathaway, Fort Worth, TX Prize Instrument Selected: McSpadden 4FHMgMg-E Custom Mountain Dulcimer, provided by The Dulcimer Shoppe
  • 2nd Place – Allison O’Shea, Nashville, TN Prize Instrument Selected: McSpadden 4SGCC-E Scroll Head Cherry Ginger Mountain Dulcimer, provided by The Dulcimer Shoppe
  • 3rd Place – Sarah Miner, Post, TX Prize Instrument Selected: McSpadden 6FHWWB-E TearDrop Baritone Mountain Dulcimer, provided by The Dulcimer Shoppe, Mountain View, Arkansas
  • Runners up – Steve Stubblefield, Eureka Springs, AR and David Kerwood, Arkansas City, Kansas

National Hammered Dulcimer Championship

  • Champion – Susana Baker, Valley Park, MO Prize Instrument Selected: Rick Thum 17/17 Professional Chromatic Hammer Dulcimer provided by Rick Thum Dulcimers
  • 2nd Place – Jeff Mom, Kalamazoo, MI Prize Instrument Selected: Master Works 16/15 CBWXR7 Bantam Weight Chromatic Extended Range Hammer Dulcimer provided by Master Works
  • 3rd Place – Steve Eades, Statesville, NC  Prize Instrument Selected: Songbird 17/16/8 Finch Chromatic Hammer Dulcimer provided by Songbird Hammer Dulcimers
  • Runners up – Robert Miller, Pittsburgh, PA and Katelyn Baas, McBain, MI

Well done and congratulations all!

Photos from Walnut Valley 2023

Chris Jones & The Night Drivers at the 2023 Walnut Valley Festival – photo Walnut Valley Association

Many thanks to the media team at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS for sharing these photos from their 2023 event. This year was the 51st running of this celebrated festival, which combines a concert stage show with the many instrumental competitions hosted in Winfield every year.

2023 Walnut Valley instrumental contest winners from Winfield

Anthony Howell, 2023 National Banjo Champion at Walnut Valley in Winfield, KS

The smoke has cleared from this past weekend’s many instrumental competitions at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, and we have a list of this year’s winners. These include the National Flat Pick Guitar Championship, the National Mandolin Championship, and the National Banjo Championship, among others.

Each year players trek to Winfield from all over the US to participate, with prizes typically being new, professional-grade instruments from top builders.

And the winners are:

National Bluegrass Banjo Championship

  1. Anthony Howell – Kosiusko, MS; Prize selected: OME Megatone IKON Bluegrass Banjo
  2. Owen Brockman – Dayton, OH; Prize selected: Deering Calico 5-string Banjo
  3. Steven Moore – Saint Clairesville, OH; prize selected: Deering White Lotus 5-string Banjo

Runners up: Evan Reed, Fairview, MO, and Gregg Welty, Durham, NC

International Autoharp Championship

  • Cindy Harris – Pittsburgh, PA; prize selected: Schreiber Autoharp Diatonic Autoharp
  • Steve Luper – Andover, KS; prize selected: Whippoorwill Acoustics Luthier’s Choice Autoharp
  • George Haig – Dunfermline, Scotland; prize selected: N/A

Runners up: Loriann Clayton-Bethard, Kansas City, MO, and Michael Poole, Chapel Hill, NC  

International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship

  1. Momo Kimura – Amagasaki, Hyogo, Japan; prize selected: Bourgeois Finger Style Custom Guitar
  2. Adam Cantor – Houston, TX; prize selected: Taylor 814-ce Grand Concert
  3. Mikey Bilello – Bend, OR; prize selected: Huss & Dalton Winfield Competition Model FS Guitar

Runners up: Jimmy Dehenau, East China, MI, Roger Hudson, Jacksonville, FL, and Patrick Woods, Warsaw, IN. 

National Mandolin Championship

  1. Ethan Batan – Spencer, IN; prize selected: Bourgeois M5-F Mandolin
  2. Gordon Parker – Mountain View, AR; prize: $1,500
  3. Luke Lovejoy – Spencer, IN; prize: $750

Runners up: David Mayfield, Akron, OH and Scott Schmidt, Claremore, OK 

National Mountain Dulcimer Championship

  1. David Wilson – Springfield, MO; prize selected: McSpadden Mountain Dulcimers 4FHKK-E Custom
  2. Dana Hamilton – Arlington, TX; prize selected: McSpadden Mountain Dulcimer 6FTWWB-E Baritone
  3. Allison O’Shea – Nashville, TN; prize selected: McSpadden Mountain Dulcimer 4FSGCC-E

Runners up: Sarah Miner, Post, TX, and Keith Reynolds, Arkansas City, KS 

Old Time Fiddle Championship

  1. Monte Gaylord – Nowata, OK; prize selected: Gilga model Vasile Master Fiddle
  2. Edith Sigler – Wichita, KS; prize selected: Glasser Carbon Composite 5-String Fiddle
  3. Nathan Pedneault – Canyon, TX; prize selected: Andrzei Glodek Fiddle

Runners up: Mary Parker, Mountain View, AR, Nathan Pedneault, Canyon, TX,  Tricia Spencer, Lawrence, KS 

National Flat Pick Guitar Championship

  1. Ian Ly – San Francisco, CA; prize selected: Collings Winfield Model Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce Guitar
  2.  Mike Cramer – Minneapolis, MN; prize selected: PK Thompson D-MA Guitar
  3. Hayden Reidling – Dawsonville, GA; prize selected: Martin D-28 Guitar

Runners up: Danny Spires, Wilmington, OH, and Chapman Welch, Pearland, TX  

National Hammer Dulcimer Championship

  1. Mickey Sweeney – Lake St Louis, MO; prize selected: Rick Thum 17/17 Professional Chromatic Hammer Dulcimer
  2. Gage Milton – Lewisville, TX; prize selected: Master Works 16/15 CBWXR7 Bantam Weight Chromatic Extended Range Hammer Dulcimer CBWXR7
  3. Tim Simek – Maryville, TN; prize selected: Songbird Finch Chromatic – Hammer Dulcimer 

Runners up: Ken Shoemaker, Overland Park, KS, and Clifford White, Jefferson City, MO 

Congratulations and well done all!

Many thanks to Rex Flottman with the Walnut Valley Association for getting the results to us right away.

Walnut Valley opens contest registration for September 2021

The Walnut Valley Association in Winfield, KS, has announced that registration is now open for the 49th Walnut Valley Festival acoustic instrument championships in September 2021. Last year’s event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 restrictions, but organizers believe that festivals and other large gatherings will be fine for this summer, so all is a go!

Online registration is now enabled for the National Flat Picking Championship, and the many other instrumental competitions to be held September 15-19 at the Winfield Fairgrounds. These include contests for autoharp, mountain dulcimer, finger style guitar, mandolin, old time fiddle, hammered dulcimer, and bluegrass banjo. Because of last year’s postponement, contest officials are increasing the number of registrants for each competition from 40 to 55 people, but those spots generally go fast, so don’t hesitate if you want to compete.

Those who had registered for the 2020 contests may be entitled to roll forward to this year, under the following conditions:

  • If you contacted WVF before December 21, 2020 – Your registration number will remain the same as your 2020 registration.
  • If you did not contact WVF October 1 through December 21, 2020 – Your name was removed from the registration list on December 22, 2020, and all other registrations will move up in registration order.
  • If you contacted WVF after December 21, 2020, and you had registered for the 2020 competitions – Your registration fee will still be applied to your 2021 registration. Your name will be added to the end of the registration list in registration order, along with new registrations.

Festival organizers also issued this statement about safety and 2020 ticket holders.

“WVA continues to closely monitor recommendations of national, state, and local health agencies related to mass gatherings, and officials are hopeful that conditions will allow for a live outdoor festival this fall. For those who purchased tickets for the 49th Walnut Valley Festival, tickets will be valid for entry in 2021.”

Contest Director Karen Deal says that competitors have been chomping at the bit to get back to Walnut Valley.

“Contestants from around the world have been contacting me since October. They are thrilled the competitions are being planned and are especially excited to get back to Winfield.”

Full festival and contest information can be found online.

2020 NewSong Showcase winners announced by Walnut Valley Festival

Like every other music festival these days, last weekend’s Walnut Valley Festival, normally held in Winfield, KS, will be hosted online.

What would have been their 49th annual running of the festival, along with its prestigious picking competitions, was postponed until 2021. But they did go ahead with their songwriting contest, the NewSong Showcase. The difference this year is that winners will be unable to perform their compositions on stage in front of the live audience, but Walnut Valley will take care of that with a special live-stream concert on September 18 where both the winners and alternates will have the chance to sing their songs.

This year, during what organizers are calling WVF 48.5, the NewSong Showcase was curated by our very own Chris Jones, who says that he was taken by the strong character of songwriting on display.

“I was impressed by the quality and range of the songs that were entered. I love the process of discovering new songs, so I really appreciate the Walnut Valley Festival entrusting me with this job. I’m also grateful to the outstanding judges who lent their ears and their hearts to the often difficult task of determining winners, and who gave really valuable feedback to all the writers. I’m especially thankful to the songwriters who opened themselves up and let us hear their work and their art.”

Songs are submitted and considered in a total of ten categories.

The judging is complete, and the winners are: 

Songs about Winfield

Winners: 

  • The Old Walnut River – J.D. Benning
  • Weekend at Winfield – Mike Ichniowski

Alternates:

  • Pick Your Paradise – Ron Walker
  • Pickin’ in the Road – Evan Ogborn

Songs for a Better World

Winners:

  • Land of the Great Osage – Annie B. Wilson
  • Maria’s Dusty Shoes – Beth Lee

Alternates:

  • Better Angels – James L. Herrmann
  • Let Us Not Close Our Hearts – Joy Zimmerman 

Sweet Memories

Winners:

  • Enjoy the Ride – Mackie Redd/Kenny Cornell 
  • No Time Son – Jim McCarter  

Alternates:

  • That Old Front Porch – Kenny Cornell 
  • Hard Wheat Harvest of ’84 – James L. Herrmann                                                     

Religion/Spirit

Winners:

  • Restless Wanderer – Ralph Wesley Carr 
  • Druid Hymn – Emily K. Johnson-Erday 

Alternates:

  • Loaves and Fishes – Patrice Webb  
  • Just Passing Through – Beth Lee   

None of the Above

Winners:

  • Hell Bender – Beth Lee 
  • Coyote Serenade – Annie Wilson 

Alternates:

  • On the Connecticut – Stan Sullivan 
  • Put My Mind at Ease – Ken Weddington, Felix Rodriguez, Jose Antonio Ponce, Dan Johnson  

Suitable for Children

Winners:

  • Lost Shoe Blues – Mike Yoder 
  • I’m Just a Buzzin’ – Mark A. Noble  

Alternates:

  • Daisy the Bottle Calf – Annie B. Wilson  
  • Dogs and Cats Are People Too – Mark A. Noble

Humorous Songs

Winners:

  • The Old Clunker – Bruce Allinder 
  • In Love with Your Phone – Kelly Champlin, Adam Gardino 

Alternates:

  • Stealing Jesus – Jim McCarter 
  • Car Parts Party – Kenny Cornell, Elliot Rogers 

Instrumental

Winners:

  • Ghost Town – Robert Olaf Siegers, Cricket Tombs 
  • The Meadowlark Rag – Greg Bryant 

Alternates:

  • Re-entry – Alice Boyle
  • Nocturne for Lily – Steve Taylor 

Love Songs

Winners:

  • I Could Never Write Our Love Song – Jim Carrington  
  • Good Night For a Change – Jim Joyce, Leah Watts 

Alternates:

  • His Coal Mining Days Are Through – Kevin T. Hale  
  • How ‘Bout You – Mark Noble

Feeling Blue

Winners:

  • A Letter and a Hope – Beth Nelson
  • What’s a Poor Girl to Do – Beth Lee 

Alternates:

  • Evangeline – Fred Baue
  • Living in Heartbreak and Pain – Kevin T. Hale  

Well done and congratulations all!

The online winners showcase will be held starting at 7:00 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, September 18, at the official Walnut Valley Festival web site.

Battle of the bands returns for the virtual 2020 Walnut Valley Festival

The Walnut Valley Association has announced the return of the Battle of the Bands for their first virtual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, which they are calling WVF 48.5. This year should have been the 49th annual festival and National Flat-Picking Championship, but since it will be all virtual and online-only for 2020, they are giving this festival the .5 designation.

To participate, bands will need to register on the Walnut Valley site, and submit a YouTube link of themselves playing three songs live. Given the constraints in some areas regarding group meetings, melded videos using apps like Acapella are allowed. Contestants will have their videos posted on the WVF web site, along with a donate link for each band, and visitors will vote for their favorite groups online.

The winning band will be invited to perform on stage at the official 49th annual Walnut Festival in 2021. Full rules and regulations can be found on the web site.

Registration is open to any performing act that has never been part of the official lineup at Winfield. This is a terrific opportunity for bands for whom travel to Kansas would be difficult, especially groups from outside the US. All submissions must be received by midnight on September 11. Entries will be posted in the order they are received, so the sooner you get yours in, the closer to the top of the page it will be displayed!

WVF 48.5 will run online from September 12-20. The Battle of the Bands winner will be announced on Sunday the 19th. Voting will continue through September 18.

Though the prestigious instrument contests typically held during the Walnut Valley Festival won’t take place this year, the week-long virtual festival will offer instrument workshops, video of winners concerts from over the years, a new song showcase, and a number of new video performances produced especially for the online event.

More details about these offerings will be posted soon on the WVF web site.

Chris Jones assumes management of Winfield NewSong Showcase

Organizers of the long running Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS have announced that Chris Jones will serve as the new curator of their NewSong Showcase. As they look forward to the 49th annual festival in 2020, their songwriting competition sees its first new manager in 25 years.

Chris is, of course, a regular face here at Bluegrass Today for his weekly humor column that has run since we launched in 2011. He is also well known from his time leading his own group, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, which he has maintained for well over 20 years, with his lead singing and songwriting at the forefront. Many bluegrass lovers know him as well from his regular stints as host on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction, channel 62.

In addition to being a popular bluegrass festival, the September Walnut Valley Festival is host to several highly selective instrumental competitions, including the National Flat-Picking Championship, and the International Finger-Style Guitar Championship. Pickers line up as well to enter the mandolin, dulcimer, banjo, autoharp, and fiddle contests.

Jones will take over the NewSong Showcase from Kelly and Donna Mulhollan, who perform as Still on the Hill. The Mulhollans have managed the competition this past 25 years, having taken over themselves for Crow Johnson, who had succeeded Aileen and Elkin Thomas contest founders who ran it in the early days.

Ten categories are available in which aspiring songwriters can compete:

  • Songs about Winfield
  • Children
  • Religion/Spirit
  • Feelin’ Blue
  • Instrumental
  • Sweet Memories
  • Love Songs
  • Better World
  • Humor
  • None of the Above

Bart Redford, Walnut Valley Association Executive Director, welcomes Jones to the staff while saying goodbye to two old friends.

“On behalf of Walnut Valley Association, I want to express our gratitude to Kelly and Donna Mulhollan, who did such a fantastic job for so many years with the NewSong Showcase. We are also incredibly pleased that Chris has now agreed to take on this project. They say that, ‘if you want to see that something gets done, find someone who is busy doing a lot of things.’ I think that definitely applies to Chris, who excels in so many different areas, as a talented songwriter and musician, as well as a broadcaster and writer. We are thrilled to have him on board.”  

Full details on the 2020 Walnut Valley Festival, scheduled for September 16-20, can be found online.

2019 Winfield winners – Walnut Valley Championships

Sullivan Tuttle, Allen Shadd, and Jason Shaw – winners of the Guitar Flat Pick Championship 2019

This past weekend saw the 48th annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS, where they host the National Flat Picking Championships, as well as similar competitions for mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and hammered dulcimer. These contests carry a great deal of prestige, and “winning Winfield” has long signified that you have arrived.

But it is not wholly a competition. Attendees were also treated to concerts from top bluegrass and old time entertainers like Appalachian Road Show, Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, John McCutcheon, Special Consensus, Ashley Lewis, Muriel Anderson, and many more.

Contestants travel from all over the US to go head to head with true masters of their instruments. The top three finishers receive a handsome trophy, and a handmade professional instrument donated by one of the luthiers at the festival.

When all the dust had settled, the 2019 champions were…

2019 International Autoharp Contest

  1. Doug Pratt – Cary, NC
  2. Steve Luper – Andover, KS
  3. Ivan Stiles – Phoenixville, PA

Runners Up: Loriann Clayton-Bethard, Ken Shoemaker

2019 International Finger Style Guitar Championships

  1. Adam Gardino – Colorado Springs, CO
  2. Jesse Smith – Wadsworth, OH
  3. Gints Smukais

Runners Up: RD King of Brighton, MA, Hiroya Tsukamoto of Woodside, NY

2019 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships

  1. Grant Olson – Andover, MN
  2. Jeff Hames – Madison, MS
  3. Michele Gourley (performs as Michele Star) – Durham, NC

Runners Up: Katie Moritz of Yorkville, IL, Jim Curley of Ironton, OH

2019 National Mandolin Championships

  1. Wesley Carr – Rochelle, IL
  2. Luke Lovejoy – Cloverdale, IN
  3. Holten Doucette – Waller, TX

Runners Up: Ethan Batan of Spencer, IN, Marina Pendleton of Houston, TX

2019 Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle Championships

  1. Celeste Johnson – Arvada, CO
  2. Monte Gaylord – Vinita, OK
  3. Marina Pendleton – Houston, TX

Runners Up: Hannah Farnum of Galena, MO, Emma Jane Pendleton of Tulsa, OK

2019 National Guitar Flat Pick Championships

  1. Allen Shadd – Lake Wylie, SC
  2. Sullivan Tuttle – Palo Alto, CA
  3. Jason Shaw – Lincoln, NE

Runners Up: Matthew Lindsey from Culloden, WV, Chapman Welch from Pearland, TX

2019 National Hammer Dulcimer Championships

  1. Nate Pultorak – Saranac, NY
  2. Ben Haguewood – Mineral Point, MO
  3. Fran Mayfield – Spring, TX

Runners Up: Cal Sweeten from Overland Park, KS, John Lion from Landsdowne, PA

2019 National Bluegrass Banjo Championships

Eric Welty – Argyle, TX

Weston Stewart – Anderson, AL

Trevor Smith – Austin, TX

Runners Up: Charles Butler of Nashville, TN, G. Rockwell of Bridgeport, CT

Congratulations to all the winners!

2016 winners at Walnut Valley Festival

Winners were chosen over this past weekend at the 45th Annual Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS.

Over the years, their National Flat Pick Guitar Championship and their National Bluegrass Banjo Championship have come to be recognized as among the most prestigious competitions of their kind in the US. These are only two of the many instrumental contests held during the festival each year, with competitors coming from all across the country to try their hand at winning the Winfield trophy, plus cash prizes and professional grade instruments donated by top luthiers.

These are grueling affairs, with contestants competing in multiple rounds back-to-back. They must all be prepared to play several tunes if they remain in the running and rules are strictly enforced.

Over the past 45 years, a great many current bluegrass and acoustic music stars competed and took home trophies at Winfield. Past winners include Butch Baldassari, Ron Block, Mike Bub, Fred Carpenter, Tony Furtado, David Grier, Steve Kaufman, Alison Krauss, Andy Leftwich, Lynn Morris, Mark O’Connor, Kenny Smith, Mike Snider, Chris Thile, and Scott Vestal. That’s some pretty high cotton!

Complete list of winners follows:

2016 National Bluegrass Banjo Championship

  1. Mathew Davis – Murfreesboro, TN
  2. Steve Lewis – Jefferson, NC
  3. Eric Welty – Argyle, TX

 

2016 National Flat Pick Guitar Championship

  1. Steve Lewis – Jefferson, NC
  2. Jason Shaw – Lincoln, NE
  3. Eric Hardin – West Jefferson, NC

 

2016 National Mandolin Championship

  1. Jordan Ramsey – Boulder, CO
  2. Holten Doucette – Waller, TX
  3. Scott Pearson – Warren, PA

 

2016 International Finger Style Guitar Championship

  1. Jack Wilson – Elk Grove Village, IL
  2. Dan Bliss – Merriam, KS
  3. Chang Chung-Lin – Taipei City, Taiwan

 

2016 Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle Championship

  1. Roger Netherton – St. Louis, MO
  2. Tyler Andal – Nashville, TN
  3. Kitty Amaral – Elk Creek, VA

 

2016 International Autoharp Championship

  1. Betty Scott – Dallas, TX
  2. Cindy Harris – Pittsburgh, PA
  3. Steve Luper – Andover, KS

 

2016 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship

  1. Mark Gilston – Cedar Park, TX
  2. Cassandra Damper – Houston, TX
  3. Wendy Songe – Tulsa, OK

 

 

2016 National Hammer Dulcimer Championship

  1. Iiace Mears – Saddlebrooke, MO
  2. Colin Beasley – Mobile, AL
  3. Scott Kirchner – St. Louis, MO

 

Congratulations all!

You can find more details about this year’s winners, and the instruments they won, on the Walnut Valley web site.

Winfield Winners 2009

The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas is now over, along with the national level competitions so closely associated with the festival.

The winners of the contests have been announced via email, but are not currently featured on the festival website. We’ve included below the photos and info made available to us for several of the competitions most closely associated with bluegrass music.

2009 Walnut Valley Mandolin Champions

The Walnut Valley Mandolin Champions were just crowned here at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS. There were 21 who played in this contest. Those 21 represented 18 different states as well as Japan and UK. The final five were from Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom. First place went to an 18 year old senior in high school from Canton, NC. Bryan McDowell seven years ago borrowed his sister’s mandolin and learned to play it. She just got married so he had to buy one of his own. He also plays fiddle and guitar and will enter these contests here at the Walnut Valley Festival. Josh Bailey from Victoria, TX took 2nd Place in this contest, the same as he did last year. Josh is currently working construction but hopes to attend college later. Josh is a member of the Bailey Family Band. Third place went to Rex Preston who was attending this year’s Walnut Valley Festival for the first time. While planning to attend the IBMA Conference he noticed the information on the Festival here in Winfield and thought “O what the heck ‚Ķ why not come and enter the mandolin contest.” Rex is a university student majoring in music and plays in a band called “The Scoville Units.”

2009 National Bluegrass Banjo Champions

There were thirteen contestants who played in the 2009 Walnut Valley Festival National Bluegrass Banjo competition. In addition those from the United States, there were two contestants from outside the US; one was from the United Kingdom and one was from Australia. When the cut to five was made, numbers were drawn again to see who would play first. The player who drew the number one was chosen the first place winner. It went to a former house painter now turned musician and banjo/guitar instructor. Steve Lewis hails from Todd, NC and he has been playing the banjo for some 34 years. He placed first in this contest in 2003 so he had to wait until this year to enter the contest again. Steve’s interests beside banjo, guitar and mandolin are hunting and fishing. Second place went and 18 year old from Regent, ND by the name of Ethan Waddington. When not playing banjo, Ethan works in the family’s tree service business. The Waddingtons came to the Walnut Valley Festival last year and their three sons wanted to come again. Mom and dad said they could come if Ethan would enter the banjo contest and so wanting to come to Winfield, Ethan entered the contest and now you know the outcome. Third place was awarded to none other than Sonny Smith of New Market, TN. Sonny is not a newcomer to this contest as he has entered it nine times. He won the contest in 1998, placed second in 1997 and 2008, and third in 1992 as well as this year. One of Sonny’s favorite things to do is to get out his metal detecting equipment and go searching for Civil War relics.

2009 National Flat Pick Guitar Champions

The National Flat Pick Guitar champions were crowned here at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS on the afternoon of September 19, 2009. In this contest there were 37 contestants from 19 states and from Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. When the cut to five was made the states of two from North Carolina, and one each from Utah, Virginia, and Tennessee. First place was won by Bryan McDowell of Canton, NC. Bryan is an 18-year old high school senior. Interestingly enough, Bryan also took first place in the Walnut Valley Mandolin contest and the Walnut Valley Old Time Fiddle contest. These contests were held on Friday. This is the first time one individual has placed first in three contests here at the Walnut Valley Festival in the same year. It is ironic that second and third places in this contest were won by close friends of Bryan’s.

It seems as though they all play in the same band called “Second Circle” Second place was won by Brandon Davis of Independence, VA. Brandon is an IT Specialist who placed 3rd in this competition in 2008. Third place was awarded to Eric Hardin of Warrensville, NC. Eric installs and finishes hardwood floors. Eric placed first in the banjo competition in Winfield in 2004. In the band they play with, Bryan plays fiddle, Brandon plays guitar and Eric plays banjo, but this goes to show you that they can play each others instruments too.

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