A couple of Wythe Countians hauled home first-place finishes at the 86th annual Old Fiddlers Convention held at Galax’s Felts Park Aug. 8-13.
Wytheville’s N.R. Taylor took home first in the dobro competition, and Kenny Monahan of Ivanhoe won the dance competition.
North Carolina fiddlers cleaned up in the old time fiddle competition. Asa Nelson of Zionville, North Carolina, took first, followed by Anneli Burnett of Boone, North Carolina. Jesse Maw of Independence broke up the North Carolina run, finishing third. Boone’s Anissa Burnett came in fourth, and Hillsville’s Erynn Marshall finished fifth. Andrew Small of Floyd took sixth, and Maxwell Brown of Wilmington, Delaware, finished in seventh. Richard Bowman of Mt. Airy, North Carolina was eighth, and Brian Grimm of Independence was ninth. Rocky Mounty, Virginia, fiddler Matt Kirwin rounded out the top 10.
After Taylor, Mt. Airry’s Kyser George was second in the dobro competition. Robert Ellis of Mocksville, North Carolina, took third, followed by Luke Lindblom of Bloomingdale, Georgia. In fifth place was Keith Aiken of Henderson, North Carolina. Pammy Lassiter of West End, North Carolina, took seventh, and Allen Surface of Floyd was eighth. Roy Bourne of Clemmons, North Carolina, took ninth, and Christiansburg’s Eric Handy finished in 10th.
Brian Muller of Christiansburg finished first in the mandolin competition, followed by Ralph McGee of King, North Carolina, and Blake Collins of Bristol, Tennessee. Vincent Bullins of Lawsonville, North Carolina, was fourth, and D.S. Roller of Richmond took fifth. In sixth place, was Lucy Lindbom of Bloomingdale, Georgia. Liz Maness of Fincastle, Virginia was seventh, and Conner Lambert of Statesville, North Carolina, took eighth. Todd Hiatt of State Road, North Carolina, finished in ninth place, and Jacob Sheffield of Elm City, North Carolina, took 10th.
Cody Bauer, representing Knoxville, Tennessee, claimed a win in the bluegrass fiddle competition. Daniel Greeson of Jamestown, North Carolina, was second, followed by Ruth Shumway of West Jefferson, North Carolina, and Glen Alexander of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jim Graddick of Blythewood, South Carolina, took sixth, and Ella Thomas of West Columbia, South Carolina, was seventh. John Hoffman of Thomasville, North Carolina, finished eighth. Marina Lindblom of Bloomingdale and Danny Knicely of Taylorsville, Virginia, rounded out ninth and 10th.
Kendra Ward of Bidwell, Ohio, took first in the dulcimer competition. Sharon Boyd of Colonial Heights, Virginia, earned second, and Diane Parker of Galax was third. Richmond’s Damian Muller took fourth, and Dick Lamb of Keezletown, Virginia, was fifth. Sixth place was Greensboro, North Carolina’s Gail Webber, and Charlotte’s John Renwick was seventh. Sherri Hill of Martinsville, Virginia, finished eighth, followed by Tim Owen of Cascade, Virginia, and Tim Thorton of Shawsville, Virginia.
Andy Lowe of Apex, North Carolina, captured first in the bluegrass banjo competition. Ettore Buzzini of Mooresville, North Carolina, finished second, and Lee Dunbar of Eagle Rock, Virginia, finished third. Christiansburg’s Ethan Handy claimed fourth. Trevor Holder of Salem, Virginia, and Steve Lewis of Jefferson, North Carolina, finished in fifth and sixth, respectively. Clay Lillard of Cascade took seventh, and Travis Watts of Mt. Airy finished in eighth place. In ninth was Jacob Moretz of Jefferson, North Carolina, followed by Timothy Lindblom of Bloomingdale.
Hometown pickers grabbed the top two spots in the clawhammer banjo competition. Jared Boyd took first and Trish Fore finished second. Both are from Galax. Marsha Todd of Mt. Airy finished third. Logan Thompson of Glade Spring claimed fourth. In fifth was Ben Hill of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Tim Bing of Huntington, West Virginia, in sixth. Kelley Breiding of Crumpler, North Carolina, finished in seventh, and Peco Watson of Galax was eighth. In ninth was Nancy Sluys of Westfield, North Carolina, followed by Garrett Wyatt of Independence.
In the autoharp competition, Ronnie Burroughs of Keysville, Virginia, grabbed first, followed by Penny Kilby of Mouth of Wilson. Louis Shumaker of Olin, North Carolina, finished in third place. Mason Winfree of Hillsville, finished in fourth, and Christiansburg’s Sidney Hollandsworth took fifth. Elizabeth Merkhofer of Washington, D.C., claimed sixth place, and Virgil Adams of Galax was seventh. Keith Brintzenhoff of Kutztown, Pennsylvania, claimed eight. Stan Massie of Wytheville finished in ninth, and Danna Underwood of Ivanhoe was 10th.
Chad Harrison of Claudeville, Virginia, grabbed the crown in the guitar competition. Libby Lindblom of Bloomingdale finished in second, and Abingdon’s Jack Hinshelwood finished in third. Steve Kilby of Mouth of Wilson was fourth, and Devin Jones of King George, Virginia, finished in fifth. In sixth was Denny Alley of Lawsonville, North Carolina, and Dewey Peters of Roanoke was seventh. Chase Killough of Charlotte finished in eighth, and in ninth was Galax’s Cody McGrady. Casey Lewis of Rocky Gap took 10th place.
Karlie Keepfer of Sparta, North Carolina, was first in the folk song competition. Floyd’s Ashley Watkins finished in second, followed by Greensboro’s Megan White and Maggie Blankenship of Stuart, Virginia. Eagle Rock’s Briana Dunbar took fifth, and Maggie Chipwood of Hardy, Virginia, was sixth. Tommy Nichols of Mt. Airy finished in seventh, followed by Jamie Collins of Bristol, Tennessee. In ninth was Chloe Mylet of Winston-Salem, with Maggie Whitson of Johnson City, Tennessee, in 10th.
Gina Dilg of Radford finished second in the dance competition, and Stuart’s Susan Blankenship was third. Barbara Bowman of Mt. Airy finished fourth, followed by Galax’s Brett Morris, and Laura Sumner, also of Galax. Rocky Mount’s Glenn Wimmer was seventh, and Mitchell Robinson of Galax was eighth. Marty Todd of Mt. Airy and Stacy Boyd of Laurel Fork, Virginia, rounded out ninth and 10th.
The Purple Headed Cobras of Apex, North Carolina, won the bluegrass band competition, with The Hungry Mothers of Salem coming in second. Coyote Ugly of Kingsport, Tennessee, finished in third, with The Jakes From State Farm, from Stoneville, North Carolina, taking fourth. Harrison Ridge of Woodlawn finished fifth, and We Are DNA from Johnson City taking sixth. New River Line of Woodlawn claimed seventh place. Statesville’s Outlaw Bluegrass Band finished in eighth place, and Carriage Road of Floyd took ninth. Bull Run of Elm City, North Carolina, finished in 10th place. The Country Fools of Greensboro finished in 11th, followed by Autumn Harvest of Mt. Airy, Blue Tradition of Christiansburg, Headin’ Home of Bloomingdale, and Carolina Ridgeline of Roaring Gap, North Carolina.
In the old time band competition, Twin Creeks String Band of Galax took top honors, followed by Floyd’s The Alumn Ridge Boys & Ashlee. Whoopin’ Holler String Band of Marlington, West Virginia, finished in third, followed by Slate Mountain Ramblers of Mt. Airy. Elk Creek’s The New Critter Connection was fifth, with Grayson Mountain Ramblers of Mouth of Wilson taking sixth. The Cabin Creek Boys of Independence finished in seventh, with Sparta’s Karlee Keepfer and Smokey Holler taking eighth. In ninth was Southern Pride of Hillsville. The Hooligans of Galax took 10th, followed by the Surry County Bobcasters of Mt. Airy, Hard Step of Elk Creek and The Wildcats of Galax. The Torchdroppers of Topsail Beach, North Carolina, finished in 14th, followed by Mudhole Control of Marlington.
Jared Boyd of Galax was named best all around performer.
Maxwell Brown of Wilmington finished first in the youth old time fiddle. Sam Wilkerson of Low Gap, North Carolina, took second, followed by Josephine Walker of Todd, North Carolina, and Slyvie Davis of Leicester, North Carolina, and Hunter Hiatt of State Road, North Carolina.
Charlie Tolbert of Purlar, North Carolina, finished first in the youth bluegrass fiddle competition. Lake Carver of Mocksville, North Carolina, finished in second, followed by Mallie York of Cana. Hollace Oakes of Snowville, Virginia, finished in fourth, and Malachi Ellenburg of Liberty, South Carolina, took fifth.
In the youth mandolin category, Alyssa White of Easley, South Carolina, finished first. In second was Leo Linblom of Bloomingdale, and Blane Young of Roanoke. Jace Roberts of Independence took fourth, and Janaya Collins of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, finished in fifth.
In the youth clawhammer banjo competition, Bayla Davis of Leiscester took first, with Margo MacSweeney of Floyd finishing in second. Logan Thompson of Glade Spring was third. Wren Hello of Floyd finished in fourth, and Kyrie Sexton of Galax was fifth.
The youth bluegrass banjo competition was sewed up by Ayden Chappell of Pumpkintown, South Carolina. Elijah Ellenburg of Liberty took second, followed by Berkley Stewart of Saltville. Levi Lindblom of Bloomindale finished in fourth, with Remington Davis of Rocky Mount wrapping up fifth.
Ettore Buzzini of Mooresville finished first in the youth guitar competition. Croft Wilson of Yulee, Florida, took second, and Lucas Nichols of Charlestown, West Virginia, finished in third. Graydon Shepherd of West Jefferson took fourth, and Hudson Mikeal of Jefferson finished in fifth.
Southbound 77, out of Mooresville, finished first in the youth band competition. Denim and Plaid from Saltville took second, and The Brothers Five of Bloomingdale finished third. Jam Busters of Evanston, Illinois, was fourth, followed by Pico Road of Buchanan, Virginia.
Ella Grim of Elk Creek won the youth folk song, with Jasie Slaughter of Willis finishing second. Ida Buzzini of Mooresville finished third, followed by Gracie Terry of Bahama, North Carolina. Tucker Conner of Fleetwood, North Carolina, finished fifth.
Chloe Grim of Elk Creek took first in the youth dance category. Jaycie Pemberton of Galax was second, and Silas Henry of Ferrum finished third. Isaiah Imperiale of Thomasville, North Carolina, nabbed fourth. In fifth was Karmin Routh of Chilhowie.
Silas Wiklerson of Low Gap won the Don Wilson Memorial Pickin’ and Grinnin’ Award.
