37th Annual Fiddler’s Jamboree Kicks Off Friday Morning

The 37th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival is set for Friday and Saturday, July 4th & 5th.
The musical competition kicks off on Friday morning at 9:00 a.m.
Preliminaries will be held in the following categories:
Old Time Appalachian Folksinging (solos and duets); Flat Top Guitar; Junior Clogging (ages 13-39); Junior Buck Dancing (ages 13-39); Dobro Guitar; Mountain Dulcimer; Hammer Dulcimer; Novelty Event; Old Time Fiddle Band; Autoharp; Gospel Singing (solos); Country Harmonica; Old Time Banjo; Gospel Singing (duets, trios, and quartets); and Mandolin.
The top three acts in each category will be called back for the finals on Friday night and a first, second, and third place will be awarded.
All first place winners get $125, except the Old Time Fiddle Band, which gets $525 for first place.
Second place winners get $100 and third place winners receive $75. The Old Time Fiddle Band second place winner gets $425 and $325 for third place.
On Saturday starting at 9:00 a.m., preliminaries will be held in the following categories:
Junior Fiddlers (ages 13-39); Junior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance (ages up to 39); Senior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance ( ages 40 and over); Senior Buckdancing (ages 40 and over); Senior Clogging (ages 40 and over); Bluegrass Banjo; Bluegrass Band; Senior Fiddlers (ages 40 and over); and Square Dancing.
Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be called back Saturday night to compete for first, second, and third place.
Prize money in most categories is $125 for first place; $100 for second place; and $75 for third place.
Awards for Junior Fiddlers and Senior Fiddlers are $225 for first place; $175 for second place; and $150 for third place.
Prizes for Bluegrass Band are $525 for first place; $425 for second place; and $325 for third place.
Awards for Square Dancing are $400 for first place; $300 for second place; and $200 for third place.
The winners of the Junior and Senior Fiddling competition will square off for the Grand Champion Award, the Berry C. Williams Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the festival. The winner gets $300.
Meanwhile, the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners will be held Saturday afternoon during the Jamboree featuring competitions for children, up to age twelve, in the categories of Buck Dancing, Clogging, Dobro Guitar, Mandolin, Five String Banjo, Flat Top Guitar, and Fiddle.
Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be brought back to compete for first, second, and third place.
Prizes are $100 for first place, $75 for second place; and $50 for third place. One child will receive the Best Overall Instrumental Entertainer Trophy Award and $125 and the top fiddler will get the James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Trophy and $175.
In addition to the on-stage musical entertainment, the Fiddlers Jamboree will feature hundreds of crafts, plenty of delicious food; and lots of shade tree picking around the public square.
WJLE will broadcast most of the on-stage entertainment LIVE.