The Grand Champion Fiddler of the 44th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival is Tyler Andal of White House, Tennessee.
He won the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award Saturday night after the Grand Finale Fiddle-Off between the best Junior and Senior Fiddler.
Andal made it to the fiddle off by winning the Junior Fiddling competition and he won the Grand Championship by beating the winner of the Senior Fiddling contest Gail Johnson of Lavergne.
Due to heavy rains, the contestants were forced to fiddle off under an overhang (eave) on the stage’s storefront background. Instead of three tunes, Andal and Johnson each fiddled only one song, tune of their choice.
Although the Saturday session of the Fiddlers Jamboree got off to slow start with an hour rain delay at the beginning, the event ran smoothly throughout the day until the start of the finals competitions Saturday evening when the rains set in again. The first four categories, all individual dancing events were held as normal, even in the rain. But as the light rain became a downpour, the rest of the finals were held under the stage’s overhang (eave), except for the senior fiddling and square dancing events. Contestants in both categories decided to allow their scores in the preliminaries to determine how they would place. There were only three square dance teams competing in the preliminaries this year.
Winners in the Saturday session of the Fiddler’s Jamboree are as follows:
Junior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages up to 39): First Place-Matthew Campbell of Smyrna; Second Place- Chris Stewart of Lebanon; and Third Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville.
Senior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Tommy Scruggs, Jr. of Hartsville; Second Place- Stanley Reece of Gainesboro; and Third Place- Darrin Stryker of Crossville.
Senior Buck Dancing (Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Thomas Maupin of Murfreesboro; Second Place- Tommy Scruggs, Jr. of Hartsville; and Third Place- Eileen Stewart of Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee.
Senior Clogging (Ages 40 & Over): First Place-Sherry Guenther of Monterey; Second Place- Tammy Gay Scruggs of Hartsville; and Third Place- Jeff Yates of Adams, Tennessee.
Bluegrass Banjo: First Place-Joey Gipson of Manchester; Second Place-Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg; and Third Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville.
Junior Fiddlers (Ages 13-39): First Place-Tyler Andal of White House, Tennessee; Second Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro; and Third Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro, Tennessee.
Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville; Second Place- Tyler Andal of Whitehouse; and Third Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna.
Contest Fiddle (Neil Dudney Award): First Place- Tyler Andal of White House; Second Place- Justin Branum of Nashville; and Third Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. The Neil Dudney Award was presented to Andal by Dudney’s grandson Ethan Shaw.
Bluegrass Band: First Place- Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band of Signal Mountain; Second Place- Tennessee Bluegrass of Dyersburg; and Third Place- Bluegrass Militia of Hartsville.
Senior Fiddlers ( Ages 40 & Over): First Place- Gail Johnson of Lavergne; Second Place- Billy Brewer of Lyles, Tennessee; and Third Place- Marcia Denton of Murfreesboro
Square Dancing: First Place-Rocky Top Revue of Franklin; Second Place- Main Stage Fusion of Springfield;and Third Place- Harpeth River of Franklin.
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