Posted by Bruce Bilmes and Sue Boyle
, October 01, 2008 00:52
We leave it to Jane and Michael Stern to describe this event, from their amazing book that celebrates this country, called Amazing America:
The fiddle was at one time known as the devil’s box for its ability to cause people to dance, whoop it up, and generally raise hell. Limestone County, Alabama in the 1920s was a thriving center for such hell-raising. In the early 1960s a local resident named Bill Harrison, fed up with the plastic Nashville sound that passed for “country,” created the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers’ Association “to preserve, but not embalm” traditional Southeast country fiddle playing. Now, every year in early October, these people really raise some hell.
The convention begins with a traditional anvil shoot, an old folk custom that involves putting one anvil on top of another with a generous supply of black gunpowder in between. The powder is ignited and the top anvil blasts off into the air like an overweight cannonball, and crashes back near its “launching pad.” In fact, the custom was originated by settlers too poor to afford a cannon but in need of convincing hostile Indians that they had some artillery. Bill Harrison claims to be one of two men in the country who still know how to shoot an anvil properly.
But all that is only a fanfare to the business at hand, which is choosing the annual grand champions of the fiddling world. Winners in both the junior category (under sixty years old) and senior are selected for rhythm, creativity, authenticity, expression, and execution. Trick fiddling is frowned upon by judges, so you won’t see any contestants pulling the old tricks of playing with their heads between their legs, or their bow in the mouth, or imitating roosters and hens as part of their repertoire.
The contest is carefully organized into categories, including guitar, old-time banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, harmonica, and a specialty, buckdancing. And in case you have any doubts about the seriousness of this contest, these are the buckdancing rules: “Dancers will be judged according to the authenticity of the dance, rhythm and timing. The following steps will NOT be allowed: clogging steps, Charleston steps, backward steps, and sideways steps. Arms should not be flayed up and down, but should be held loosely at the side of the body. Feet should be kept close to the floor and should cover as small an area as possible. Knees should be held to a low level to accommodate the true flat-foot style. NO taps will be allowed. Dancers should keep the head as level as possible.”
If, however, you feel inclined to flay your arms about, kick your feet up and bob your head around like crazy, all in a very unprofessional way, don’t worry. For all the seriousness with which fiddle playing, anvil shooting, and buckdancing are treated here, there’s still plenty of room for raising hell in the tradition of the devil’s box. There is a big country-style supper on Saturday night, and there are jam sessions everywhere on the Athens campus during the two-day contest.
The anvil shoot was retired after the first 15 years, but was brought back in 1996 for the 30th anniversary. We don’t know if that tradition has been continued beyond 1996, though. The Saturday night supper may still be a tradition but we cannot find any mention of it. Besides junior and senior fiddlers, awards are also given to beginning fiddlers 10 and under, and beginning fiddlers 11-15. Guitar is divided into finger pick and flat pick. Buck dancing is divided into 15 & under and 16 & over. Additional categories include bluegrass banjo, dobro, old time singing, bluegrass band, and old time band. There are arts and crafts, and camping is available. The event takes place on the Athens State University campus.
