WELCOME TO THE ALLEGHANY COUNTY FIDDLER'S CONVENTION 2025!
The Alleghany County Fiddler's Convention is proud to present its annual gathering of string musicians, dancers and fans in Sparta, NC. Bluegrass and old time musicians will compete (in no particular order) on Friday night and Saturday afternoon. Then on Saturday night, the top 15 senior bluegrass and top 15 senior old time bands will return to the stage for a hot pickin' championship playoff!
Musicians come for friendly competition, camaraderie, and to show and hone their skills. Others come to see and hear the contest, scout around the fairgrounds for hot jam sessions, kick up their heels, see their friends and neighbors, and sample the fare of a variety of vendors.
The Saturday night show is 100 percent hot pickin' bands. The top 15 bluegrass and top 15 old time bands (as judged in Friday night and earlier Saturday competition) return to the stage starting at 7:30 p.m. for the grand championship senior band playoffs.
2025 Dates & Times
Thursday, July 17
4 p.m. - Songwriter Circle Jam
Friday, July 18
5 p.m. - Opening entertainment
6 p.m. - Competition for junior and senior bands and individuals
Saturday, July 19
11 a.m. - Competition continues for junior and senior bands and individuals
Approx.
5:30 p.m. - Dance competition for all age categories, followed by youth awards & special entertainment
7:30 p.m. - Senior band championship playoffs
Schedule of events
Friday
5 p.m. - Opening Entertainment
6 p.m. until - Competition for all categories (except dance)
Saturday
11 a.m. - Competition continues for all categories (except dance)
5:30 p.m. - Senior, junior and children's dance contests
7:30 p.m. - Senior band playoffs
Around 11:30 p.m. - Presentation of awards
On Friday night and during the day Saturday, the audience will see and hear a variety of bands, individual and duet contestants who come to the stage when they are ready to play, in no particular order.
You never know who's coming next!
1st - $100 and Ribbon
2nd - $80 and Ribbon
3rd - $60 and Ribbon
4th & 5th - Ribbons
Old time fiddle and banjo; bluegrass fiddle and banjo; and vocal duet.
All dancers compete.
16 and under, may have one adult.
1st - $70 and Ribbon
2nd - $50 and Ribbon
3rd - $30 and Ribbon
4th and 5th - Ribbon
Age 16 and under, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and acoustic bass
1st - $15 and Ribbon
2nd - $10 and Ribbon
3rd - $5 and Ribbon
4th and 5th Ribbon
1st -$50 and Ribbon
2nd -$40 and Ribbon
3rd – $30 and Ribbon
4th & 5th – Ribbon Old
time and bluegrass fiddle, old-time and bluegrass banjo, guitar, bass fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, Dobro, autoharp, vocal, and harmonica.
1st - $400 and Ribbon
2nd - $250 and Ribbon
3rd - $100 and Ribbon
4th - $75 and Ribbon
5th - $50 and Ribbon
Directions
Alleghany Fairgrounds
1585 U.S. 21 North
Sparta, NC 28675
To reach Sparta I-77: Take exit 83 (northbound traffic only) or exit 85 and follow US 21 north up the Blue Ridge Mountains 16 miles to Roaring Gap and 28 miles to in intersection with NC 18 in the center of Sparta, NC. From US 421: Take exit 282 onto US 421 Bus./NC 115 north for 2.9 miles. Turn right onto NC 18 North/Second Street. Follow NC 18 north up the Blue Ridge Mountains for 20 miles to Laurel Springs, NC, and 31 miles to the intersection with US 21 in the center of Sparta, NC From Mt. Airy, NC: Head west on NC 89 north for 20 miles to the intersection with NC 18. Turn left on NC 18 and follow for 15 miles to the intersection with US 21 in the center of Sparta, NC. From Virginia: Take US 21 south and follow into Alleghany County and Sparta, NC. From Jefferson, NC and Ashe County: Take NC 88 north to Laurel Springs to where it dead-ends into NC 18. Go left on NC 18 and follow for 12 miles to Sparta, NC. The fairgrounds are on U.S. 21 North, 1.5 miles from the courthouse square.
History
The Alleghany County Fiddlers Convention has roots in the cold winter days of early 1995. Richard Nichols, maintenance engineer at Alleghany Memorial Hospital, and Dr. Jack Cahn, family practitioner, brought up the idea one day at work, said Nichols. Both are string musicians. “We got to talking about it, how we ought to have a fiddlers convention. We had a good fairgrounds, a good place to have it, and we just needed to get a group together to get it going. Raising money for the fairgrounds, that was the intent to start with,” Nichols said The county-owned Higgins Agricultural Fairgrounds had opened not too long before and money was needed for improvements. The two men were also concerned about keeping interest in old time and bluegrass music alive. Nichols invited other Alleghany musicians and members of the fairgrounds board to join a committee to launch the first ever Alleghany County Fiddlers Convention. The first meeting was held in February 1995 in the Alleghany Memorial Hospital solarium. “It got kicked off real well because we had a good team put together,” said Nichols. A standing date was set: the third weekend in July. The committee raised money to cover prizes and expenses by selling advertisements for a printed program and signs in front of the stage. In the beginning, the signs were hand painted. Stables were among the first improvements to the new fairgrounds. Prize money and a schedule were set, and committee member David Sturgill, a judge at many conventions himself, was appointed to acquire three judges. The format for this convention was a bit different from others in the area, with the intention of making it easy for musicians to participate. Individuals and bands may compete anytime they want to Friday night and Saturday during the day. Saturday night is reserved for a band playoff. The first convention was held Friday and Saturday, July 21 and 22, 1995, with a free gospel singing on Sunday, July 23. At the time, advanced registrations were accepted by mail.
Evelyn Farmer and Jesse Lovell of Fries, Virginia were the first contestants to register for the Alleghany County Fiddlers Convention. Emcees were radio personalities Sonia Joines and Harold Mitchell. At the first convention, the grandstand was uncovered. Proceeds from the convention have helped pay for larger covered seating, among other improvements. The convention was a success as a fundraiser from the beginning. The committee made a $10,000 contribution to the fairgrounds the first year. In the second year, junior band competition was added to help encourage young people to carry on the music. The gospel singing was dropped in favor of having a full day Sunday to clean up the fairgrounds. The third year, a noncompetitive children’s dance category for ages 8 and younger was added. Each child who dances gets a blue ribbon. Harmonica competition was added the fourth year. In the fifth year, 1999, junior individual categories were added for fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass. At the time, no other conventions in this area had separate competition for youths, although several have added it since. Duet categories were added in 2018. Contestants backstage at the first convention. Proceeds from the convention have helped pay for new turnout gear, airpacks, fire hose, and other firefighting equipment. The fire department reserves the fairgrounds for two weeks before the convention and holds work details to set up big tents, put the stage in place, line off camping spaces, assemble the dance floor and a host of other chores. Beginning with the 2010 convention, the fireman accepted reservations from people who wanted to keep the camping space they held the previous year. “I hope to get to see a lot more of them,” Nichols said. “You wouldn’t believe the people who have told me how much they enjoy the fiddlers convention in Sparta, especially the young ones who are going to carry on our music for years to come.”