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Event/Site:
Old-time Fiddlers' and Bluegrass
Convention at Clement Grove Picnic Grounds in Downtown Mocksville
Date: Second Saturday in May. Band and
individual registration to compete starts at noon. Registration for
individuals runs until 2:30pm. Registration for bands runs until 6:00pm.
Competition for individuals is from 2:30pm –
5;00pm; band competition begins at 6:00pm.
Type: Music convention featuring bluegrass and
old-time music competitions, with New Horizon's stage for young talent,
jam sessions, workshops, and food vendors.
Location: Clement Grove Picnic Grounds are located
at 201 Poplar Street
off North Main Street
(behind the Brock Performing Arts
Center) in downtown Mocksville, NC.
Click here for a map.
Cost: Adults: $8; Children 6-12: $2; Children under 6
free.
Parking: Free parking available at the park, behind
the Brock Performing Arts Center, and in downtown Mocksville. Parking
adequate for bus tours.
Special Needs Access: Venue is fully accessible.
Signage: Signs at location, but not en route.
Sponsor: Sponsored by Cooleemee Civitans Club
Web Site:
http://www.cooleemeecivitans.org
Contact:
William Davis
(336)
284-4167
Email:
cooleemeeciv@yadtel.net
Description of Event: The Annual Old
Time Fiddlers' and Bluegrass Convention in Mocksville includes both
old-time and bluegrass competitions and has a solid reputation among
musicians and enthusiasts throughout the state and beyond. There are
typically 65 plus bands and individuals competing representing numerous
states and sometimes even foreign countries. The grounds fill during the
day with musicians, dancers, singers and listeners, and jam sessions
spring up around tailgates and picnic tables. Like most traditional
music festivals, it is an intergenerational affair, with many
opportunities for kids up to seniors to be involved. Food and beverages
are available on-site, and usually arts and crafts items.
Cash prizes and ribbons are awarded in an extensive list
of categories, including best bluegrass band, old-time band, fiddler,
banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass, dobro, vocals, vocal group, buck dancer,
as well as two "Most Promising Talent" categories, for kids 12
and under and for young adults 13-18. There is also typically a plaque
presented to a band or individual for outstanding contribution to
old-time or bluegrass music. During the afternoon, hot jam sessions and
workshops take place throughout the historic Clement Grove Picnic
Grounds and parking lots, as some of the region's best bluegrass and
old-time musicians meet up with talented players from more distant parts
of North Carolina and other states.
History of Site/Event: In 1926 the
Mocksville Lions Club sponsored its first fiddlers' convention, a
three-day festival that took place in the historic Clement Grove Picnic
Grounds. In 1994 the club revived the tradition in the same location.
The Lions Club hosted its last bluegrass festival in 2004 and passed
along the event to the Colleemee Civitans Club. The Civitans had hosted
a bluegrass festival at another time of year before shifting the date to
May and taking over this event.
Description of Site/Facility: The
Clement Grove Picnic Grounds have been a popular gathering place for
Davie County folks for over a century. Located in the heart of
Mocksville behind the Brock Performing Arts Center, the fenced park has
both open space and shade, a picnic shelter and a covered arbor. Benches
in the arbor provide seating to watch the music competition, and people
bring their lawn chairs for additional comfort.
Significance of Site/Event to the Community: Beginning
in the spring, North Carolina's traditional musicians begin to make the
rounds of the music festivals and conventions that roll out through the
summer and into fall. Some are weeklong schools; some are weekend
reunions with jam sessions and competitions, and some concentrate much
or all of this activity into day or evening gatherings. The Old Time
Fiddlers' and Bluegrass Convention in Mocksville falls into the
afternoon- and evening-long category. The festival, as the others around
the state, is like a homecoming, welcoming back the community friends
and acquaintances who come together to face-off in musical showdowns and
to share the revered music traditions passed down from previous
generations. This festival, and others like it, is significant if not
essential in the preservation and continuation of regional music
traditions. It also helps recognize and encourage young talent, as well
as strengthen community on a local and more widespread level.
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