Story by Kristen P. Townsend

NATCHITOCHES - The Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held on July 20 in conjunction with the 44th annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival. The Fiddle Championship will be held at 1 p.m. in the Magale Recital Hall located at 175 Sam Sibley Drive on the Northwestern State University campus. Fiddlers may compete in the championship or non-championship, as well as in the twin fiddle category. Registration is at noon in the first-floor foyer outside the Magale Recital Hall. The Fiddle Championship winner will perform on the main stage in Prather Coliseum at 5 p.m.

Fiddling is a huge part of Louisiana music, culture and tradition. The Championship competition serves to preserve, celebrate and appreciate the traditional sounds of Louisiana. It is always the hope of the competitors, judges, moderators and fans to encourage and promote young fiddlers to rosin up their bows and be a part of not only the competition, but to join in the jam sessions that follow, and to pursue their musical passions, carrying on this important tradition.

Clancey Stewart, 2018 champion and 2023 second place finisher, said playing the fiddle and taking part in competitions such as the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship is "a way to connect with people from all walks of life. Every culture has its own spin on genres, whether or not you can speak the same language. I may not understand the words that they are singing, but I understand the melodies, and the melodies tell a story themselves. It's a way to connect with people."

This year's competition will host memorable faces, such as Stewart's, as many past champions will once more grace the stage in hopes of claiming the 2024 Louisiana State Fiddle Championship title. 2023 champion, Curry Perkins of Ragley, will also be present, serving as one of the judges for this year's competition. There will be fiddling in multiple divisions and age ranges, including non-championship divisions, championship divisions and twin fiddles.

Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Championship and festival, is always pleased with the level of talent each player brings to the Championship and expects this year to continue the excitement as the fiddlers once more "bring the noise" and their phenomenal level of artistry which is pivotal to keeping the tradition of Louisiana music and fiddling alive and thriving here in Natchitoches.

Held in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum, the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival features three stages of live music, over 75 crafts people, Louisiana cuisine food vendors, dance lessons, informances, narrative sessions, on-site demonstrations and more. Admission to this family friendly event is $10 for an all-day all event pass, with children 12 and under admitted free all day. For information go to https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/.

For information on pre-registering to compete in the Louisiana State Fiddle Championship as well as Championship rules and prize information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email [email protected]or go to https://www.nsula.edu/folklife/statefiddlechampionship/.

Support for the festival is provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council, and the State of Louisiana. The festival is sponsored by C&H Precision Machining, City Bank, Cleco, Evans Family, LLC, the Harrington Law Firm, International Paper, Natchitoches Wood Preserving Company and Young Estate, LLC.

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The Louisiana State Fiddle Championship will be held July 20 at 1 p.m. in Magale Recital Hall located at 175 Sam Sibley Drive on the Northwestern State University campus. Curry Perkins of Ragley is the defending champion and will be one of this year's judges. Photo by Peter Jones.

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