The smaller town of Cloverdale, California makes its presence known about a half hour’s drive north of the way bigger city of Santa Rosa. Cloverdale reminds me of a small mid-western town in say, Iowa, South Dakota, or Missouri. The main street is a joy to drive on compared to the bigger cities south of there, because you can drive on it and not be in bumper to bumper, “parking lot” traffic. And you can walk across the streets in Cloverdale without being in danger of losing your life or being maimed by speeding cars (not a 100% guarantee however).
In the center of Cloverdale is the Citrus Fairgrounds that is home to the mostly annual Old-Time Fiddle Festival/Contest that has taken place there for well over thirty years. The next fiddle festival is scheduled for April 7, 2018, with the doors opening at 8:00a.m., followed by the following: 9:30a.m. Judges meet on stage; 9:45 – Contest begins; 9:45 – Pee Wee competition; 10:35 – Junior-Junior competition; 11:15 – Junior competition; 12noon – Judges Performance; 12:20p.m – 1st Awards Ceremony; 12:55 – Break; 1:40 – Texas Style Competition; 2:25 – Adult Competition; 3:00 – Senior Competition; 3:30 – Raffle; 3:40 – 2nd Awards Ceremony; 4:00pm – Twin Fiddles Competition; 4:25 – Waltz Competition; 5:45pm – Last Awards Ceremony. And not only that, from 11a.m. to 12:30p.m. is the “Slow Jam.” Also featured is live entertainment (solo performances, duo performances, band performances) throughout the day on the California Bluegrass Association’s sponsored, “Jamming Stage.”
How does all of this happen at one event at the same time you may be thinking? Well, there are three separate, large rooms where everything takes place (and another large room that serves lunch at a reasonable price). If that is not enough, mom and pop vendors display their handcrafted items for purchase. Everything is INDOORS, so let it rain or whatever (but no wildfires please!). What makes this unique fiddle event possible are the combined forces of the California State Old-Time Fiddle Association District 10, The Cloverdale Citrus Fair, and the Sonoma County Folk Society, with the whole shebang being steered by Mark Hogan, Bonnie Wlordarczyk, and Don Coffin. I’m sure that there are many behind-the-scenes volunteers too.
When I think of fiddlers I often think of Leonard Smith. Leonard was a champion fiddler, winning many ribbons and awards. He lived in the Missouri Ozarks with his wife and 6″ 8″ son, and I had the opportunity to visit them a long, long time ago at his farm before he passed away. What made Leonard different than most other fiddlers is that he only had one arm (shot gun blast took the other one). Last I looked on You tube he was there fiddling away with gusto. Yep, I got to visit him in the Ozarks, far away from the madness of the overcrowded cities and jammed up freeways. And when I think of the Ozarks, I think of the “Ozark Love Poem” that goes like this:
OZARK LOVE POEM (author unknown)
Susie Lee done fell in love, she planned to marry Joe. She was so happy ’bout it all, she told her Pappy so.
Pappy told her, “Susie gal, you’ll have to find another. I’d just as soon your Ma don’t know, but Joe is your half-brother.” So Susie put aside her Joe, and planned to marry Will. But after telling Pappy this, he said, “There’s trouble still.”
“You can’t marry Will, my gal, and please don’t tell your mother. But Will and Joe and several more I know, is your half-brother.”
But Mama knew and said, “My child, just do what make you happy. Marry Will or marry Joe, you ain’t no kin to Pappy!”
The April 2018 Cloverdale Old-Time Fiddle Festival is still out in the distance, but right now might just be the time to put it on your calendar. More information and specifics are at their website.
