Time flies when you are having fun, and the Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship will be celebrating its Tenth Anniversary on Saturday.
Since a modest start in 2012, Leitchfield and Grayson County now hosts one of the largest and premier Fiddle Competitions in the U.S., as Leitchfield has been recognized as the “Fiddling Capital of Kentucky” by the Kentucky legislature in 2016.
Our region of Kentucky has been a hotbed of fiddling and music for many years, and fiddle contests were held in Leitchfield as far back as the 1920s. Local master fiddlers such as Herman Alvey, Bud Meredith and Lonnie Peerce were known nationally since the 1950s.
In 1974, the orchestra program was started in the Grayson County school system; very unique for a rural county at the time. It set the stage for many fiddlers who came through the program and became nationally known in professional and competition areas; the most notable being Jimmy Mattingly, the long-time fiddler for Garth Brooks.
Local businessman and musician Jodie Hall organized a fiddle contest held on July 4, 1974, at the fairgrounds in Leitchfield. He was assisted by his friend Leo Mudd. After the success of this first event, Hall and Mudd traveled to the state capital in Frankfort and met with Gov. John Y. Brown, who issued a proclamation in 1975 naming this event the Official Kentucky State Championship. For 37 years the contest was held at Rough River Dam State Park until the contest was not held for several years and eventually canceled.
Not willing to see fiddle music leave Leitchfield, a group of local city officials including Steven Elder and Harold Miller — also a fiddler and product of the orchestra program — decided to explore the possibility of a new contest being started to continue the musical heritage.
“Every community had an identity and I felt that Leitchfield and Grayson County’s identity was fiddling,” Elder said. “Being part of the Rotary Club at the time, it was such a special event that was needed to host and continue the hard work of so many people before us.”
Elder and Miller contacted me in late March 2012 to see if this were something he could assist with, knowing that I am a nationally known competition fiddler who grew up in Leitchfield and came through the orchestra program with Miller. Miller knew I was an experienced contest coordinator from running Grand Master Fiddler Championship in Nashville.
After I gave Miller an enthusiastic “yes,” the three of us set off to build a new contest. Rather than concentrate on only local and regional music, it was decided to model the contest after the U.S. National Oldtime Fiddle Championship program, and participate in its certification process. After discussing many names for this new event, it was Elder who suggested “Twin Lakes,” which led to the monikor, “Twin Lakes National Fiddler Championship.”
Not wanting to wait, it was decided to hold the contest on the now vacant weekend of the Kentucky State contest, the third weekend in July. The courthouse square in Leitchfield was selected as the venue and a completely new contest was designed along the lines of the U.S. National contest.
I concentrated on the actual contest design, details, rules, contest organization, website and informing musicians, while Elder and Miller did the fundraising, secured venues and did all the work necessary to hold a public event.
It was tall order to do all of this in three-and-a-half months and Miller recalls those first-year startup activities.
“Ten years ago, when we decided to carry on the tradition of fiddling here in Grayson County, it made perfect sense,” Miller said. “With the local talent this area has produced it was important to move forward and continue the legacy.”
To add additional activities around the contest, a festival was started by Leitchfield and Grayson County Tourism and included events such as a free carnival on the square, with local groups such as a car club supporting the festival. A Fiddle Festival Queen Pageant was started and coordinated by Joyce Mudd and winners received scholarships and participated in handing out awards at the contest (as they often did at the Kentucky State contest).
The first year of the new contest had 65 entries from seven states and was a huge success. Between fiddling categories, the contributions of local fiddlers and supporters, Alvey, Meredith, Peerce, Mudd, and Hall were honored by acknowledging them from the stage and by naming awards for them.
The Overall Fiddle Champion award was designated as the “Jodie Hall Trophy.” Music following the event was provided by the local “Jack Thomas Band” and kept people on the square enjoying music into the night.
Since this start, the contest has now hosted fiddlers from 22 states and has doubled the number of contestants. The contest has seen perfect summer day weather as well as hot and hotter weather, and rain.
Now funded and fully supported by the city of Leitchfield and Grayson County and their respective tourism offices, the contest continues to grow and typically sees crowds of 600 to 800 at any one time; and from 2,500 to 5,000 people over the entire day, providing a huge economic boost to the area.
“We are thrilled to be able to host the contest in the heart of Leitchfield,” said Leitchfield Tourism Director Ilsa Johnson. “The value of what it means to the community is immeasurable and we look forward to seeing our beautiful town square filled with locals and visitors. There is something for everyone to enjoy through the day with a car show, vendors, food, carnival rides, and lots of music.”
For me, it is amazing to be able to give back to my hometown and show appreciation to all those musicians and local music lovers who made the area into such an amazing place for fiddle music. To see Leitchfield and Grayson County have such a state and national impact on the preservation of fiddle music is a true blessing. I consider myself lucky to do my small part to keep this tradition alive and to be a part of something that makes my parents and the community proud.
Our fiddle judges this year include a World Champion Fiddler and the current U.S. National Adult Fiddle Champion. After the crowning of the overall 2021 Twin Lakes National Fiddler Champion, there will be a special Free Concert with Stefan Miller’s Nashville-based “Papa Bear and The Love Den,” featuring special guest Casey Jamerson, who will bring a taste of Nashville rock-n-roll to Leitchfield.
The competition starts at 9:00 a.m. and will be livestreamed. All events are free and activities for the entire family will be running all day and evening.
For more information go to www.twinlakesfiddler.com.
(Photo l-r: Event coordinator Ed Carnes, Jimmy Mattingly, event coordinator Harold Miller as Carnes and Miller present Mattingly with the Bud Meredith Award in 2018)
By Ed Carnes
