FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
PHONE: 256.350.3500 / 800.648.5381
EMAIL: info@northalabama.org
Music Set to Begin Again at the Old Time Fiddlers Convention
Decatur, Ala. – Each year, thousands of visitors and musicians make their way to the North Alabama town of Athens, Ala. in the fall for the “Granddaddy of Midsouth Fiddlers Conventions.” The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention is set to return to the campus of Athens State University and will run from September 30 through October 2, 2021. Along with the crowning of a new Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddle champion, the three-day event offers concerts, food vendors and arts and crafts on a theme of authentic workmanship while celebrating traditional old time music.
The Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention attracts approximately 15,000 folk music fans and more than 200 musicians who will be vying for over $19,000 in prize money in 19 different categories of competition, including several fiddle and guitar categories, harmonica, mandolin, bluegrass banjo, dulcimer, old time singing, banjo and buck dancing. The Convention culminates in a "fiddle-off," between the top two fiddlers on Saturday evening and the winner is declared the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddle Champion. Competition gets underway Friday at 7 p.m. and resumes Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Finals are held on Alabama Farmers Cooperative Main Stage at Founders Hall beginning at 7 p.m.
Volume Five will perform on Thursday, September 30 at 7:00 p.m. during a free preview night to kick off the convention. The complimentary concert will take place on the Alabama Farmers Cooperative Main Stage and will be open to the public.
This year's headliners will perform back-to-back on Friday, October 1, starting with Gospel Music Association and Country Music Association Hall of Fame member, Jimmy Fortune, at 5:00 p.m. followed by the Rockstars of Bluegrass Dailey & Vincent, at 6:00 p.m. Both concerts will take place on the Alabama Farmers Cooperative Main Stage. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver will wrap up the entertainment portion of the convention with a performance at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 2 on the Alabama Farmers Cooperative Main Stage. Access to all Fiddlers Convention entertainment is included with the purchase of an admission ticket.
The convention also includes a variety of food vendors and approximately 150 old-fashioned juried arts and crafts booths offering an assortment of items from traditional artwork to coal-fired metal works with an emphasis on handmade creations.
Cost of admission is $15 per adult for Friday, $15 per adult for Saturday, or $20 per adult for a weekend pass. Children under 12 will be admitted free with a paid adult. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TVOTFC.org or www.eventbrite.com. In event of rain, the competition will be held in Carter Gymnasium with limited capacity. Pets and coolers are not allowed. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.tvotfc.org.
About Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA)
AMLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the travel industry within the 16 northernmost counties of the state. It is supported by 500-plus members consisting of chambers of commerce, Convention & Visitors Bureaus, attractions, campgrounds, festivals, communities, counties, golf courses, restaurants, tour operators, accommodations, vendors, financial institutions and individuals. Counties included within the AMLA region are Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan and Winston. Additional information on North Alabama destinations, accommodations and special events is available by calling 800.648.5381 or by visiting www.NorthAlabama.org. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @VisitNorthAL and like us at www.facebook.com/VisitNorthAL.
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