The 19th Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Camp Washington-Carver in Clifftop, Fayette County, wrapped up Sunday, Aug. 3. During the event, some of the nation’s finest string band musicians and old-time dancers won prizes in four old-time “traditional” contests—fiddle, banjo, string band and flat-foot dance—plus one “neo-traditional” string band contest. In addition, ribbons for best original song and best original tune were awarded in the neo-traditional band category.
More than 3,500 people attended the festival, which began Wednesday, July 30. Visitors from Maine to California and Washington State to Florida were in attendance as well as folks from as far away as Canada, Denmark, Sweden, Australia, The Netherlands and Germany, to name a few. The annual gathering features concerts, contests, crafts, dancing, family activities, workshops and master’s showcases. Next year’s festival will be held July 29 through Aug. 2, 2009. Camp Washington-Carver is operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.
The contest winners were:
Fiddle
1st place ($400) - Erynn Marshall, Gibsons, British Columbia
2nd place ($200) - Rayna Gellert, Lexington, Ky.
3rd place ($150) - Chance McCoy, Greenville, W.Va.
4th place ($100) - Emily Schaad, Boone, N.C.
5th place ($50) - Christina Wheeler, New York, N.Y.
Youth Fiddle - 15 years of age and under
1st place ($100) - Isaac Akers, Chapel Hill, N.C.
2nd place ($50) -Tessa Dillon, St. Albans, W.Va.
3rd place ($25) - William Brauneis, Washington, D.C.
Senior Fiddle - 60 years of age and over
1st place ($200) - Walk Koken, Avondale, Pa.
2nd place ($100) - Jimmy McCown, Hardy, Ky.
3rd place ($50) - H. O. Jenkins, Dobson, N.C.
Banjo
1st place ($400) - Tim Bing, Huntington, W.Va.
2nd place ($200) - Bob Smakula, Elkins, W.Va.
3rd place ($150) - Jim Holland, Athens, Ala.
4th place ($100) - Chad Ashworth, Nitro, W.Va.
5th place ($50) - Cathy Fink, Kensington, Md.
Youth Banjo - 15 years of age and under
1st place ($100) - Corbin Hayslett, Amherst, Va.
2nd place ($50) - Daniel Rothwell, Smyrna, Tenn.
3rd place ($25) - Silas Akers, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Senior Banjo - 60 years of age and over
1st place ($200) - Jimmy McCown, Hardy, Ky.
2nd place ($100) - Reed Martin, Cabin John, Md.
3rd place ($50) - Marvin Gaster, Sanford, N.C.
Traditional Band
1st place ($700) - The New Mules, Bloomington, Ind.
2nd place ($400) - The Red State Ramblers, Lexington, Ky.
3rd place ($300) - Orpheus Supertones, Avondale, Pa.
4th place ($200) - Uncle Henry’s Favorites, Crozet, Va.
5th place ($100) - Magnolia Serenaders, Madison, Wis.
Neo-Traditional Band
1st place ($700) - Special Ed and the Short Bus, Richmond, Va.
2nd place ($400) - La Vivelle, Kensington, Md.
3rd place ($300) - Windy City Clock Jobbers, Chicago, Ill.
4th place ($200) - The Poor Taters, Athens, W.Va.
5th place ($100) - Vinegar Creek Constituency, Lancaster, Pa.
Best Original Song
Special Ed and the Short Bus, Richmond, Va.
Best Original Tune
Windy City Clock Jobbers, Chicago, Ill.
Old-Time Flat-Foot Dance - 15 years of age and under
1st place ($75) - Rebecca Molaro, Asheville, N.C.
2nd place ($50) - Alice Jamison, Asheville, N.C.
3rd place ($25) - Zoe Norris, Asheville, N.C.
Old-Time Flat-Foot Dance - 16 years of age through 40
1st place ($75) - Becky Hill, Nashville, Mich.
2nd place ($50) - Josephine Stewart, Charlottesville, Va.
3rd place ($25) - Anna Carter, Minneapolis, Minn.
Old-Time Flat-Foot Dance - 41 years of age through 59
1st place ($75) - Ira Bernstein, Asheville, N.C.
2nd place ($50) - Andy Edmonstone, Rosewell, Ga.
3rd place ($25) - Jay Bland, Kennesaw, Ga.
Old-Time Flat-Foot Dance - 60 years of age and older
1st place ($75) - Thomas Maupin, Murfreesboro, Tenn.
2nd place ($50) - Daniel Butner, Winston-Salem, N.C.
3rd place ($25) - Mary Butner, Winston-Salem, N.C.
A beautiful retreat listed in the National Register of Historic Places and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Camp Washington-Carver serves as the state’s mountain cultural arts center. The facility nurtures the cultural heritage embodied in the site since its dedication in 1942 as a 4-H and agricultural extension camp for West Virginia’s African Americans. The camp is located in Fayette County adjacent to Babcock State Park, just off Rt. 60 (Midland Trail) on Rt. 41.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit the web site at www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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