Fiddle Festival Returns to Homestead National Monument of America

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Date: April 4, 2017

____________________________________________________________________________________
National Park Service  
Homestead National Monument of America
8523 W. State Hwy 4
Beatrice, NE 68310
402-223-3514 phone
402-228-4231 fax
www.nps.gov/home_______________________________
 
National Park Service News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 4, 2017
Susan Cook 402-223-3514
 

Fiddle Festival Returns to
 Homestead National Monument of America

 
The date for the annual Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival and Acoustic Band Contest has been set for Saturday May 27, 2017, starting at 12:00 noon. With a free fiddle and harmonic workshop in the morning, a luthier on-site, jam sessions erupting throughout the day, and over $3,000 in award monies, it is sure to be an event you will want to get on your calendar. The Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival and Acoustic Band Contest is the place to be for musicians and music enthusiast of all ages. The event will be free of charge and held at the Homestead Education Center.

The competition is geared towards all ability levels and begins with Deborah Greenblatt teaching a free workshop in the morning. She was the first woman to win the Nebraska State Fiddling Championship, the first woman to win the Mid-America Fiddle Championship and is a member of the Mid-America Old-Time Fiddler’s Hall of Fame.
Greenblatt finds the atmosphere at the Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival and Acoustic Band Contest to be inviting and nurturing for all levels of musicians. It is a day for fiddlers of all ages and experience levels to come together much like they did when the first pioneers arrived in the 1800’s and began settling the prairie. The sounds of fiddlers were often heard whenever homesteaders got together and those same sounds will be heard on May 27, at the sixteenth annual Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival and Acoustic Band Contest.
Following the 10 a.m. morning workshop participants will break for lunch and prepare for the competition in the afternoon. The one rule which makes this competition unique is that all songs must have been in existence in1936 when Homestead National Monument of America was established.

The day ends with the announcement of winners. Trophies are given to the top three finishers in the Junior, Senior and Legends winners. For more than a decade, the Coffin Family Foundation has provided funding for the cash prizes. Leigh Coffin started the foundation 12 years ago to help support youth education. His son, Leigh, said the Tallgrass Prairie Fiddle Festival and Acoustic Band Championship fits into his father’s vision. Another partner for this event is the Nebraska Arts Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The winner of a Tune Writing Competition which is held in conjunction with the Nebraska Chapter of the American String Teachers Association is also announced. And the best left-handed fiddler and the youngest fiddler are recognized.
Remember, Homestead National Monument of America has an exciting schedule of events planned for 2017. Keep up with the latest information by following us on Twitter (HomesteadNM) and Facebook (HomesteadNM).

Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park Service located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska and 45 miles south of Lincoln. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free of charge. For additional information, please call 402-223-3514 or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/.

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Last updated: April 11, 2017

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8523 West State Highway 4
Beatrice, NE 68310

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402 223-3514

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