The Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Craft Festival is expanding its schedule to include a Thursday night opening ceremony as it seeks to balance Appalachian heritage with modern growth.
Festival President Kim Luton said the festival is entering its 55th year of showcasing bluegrass music, crafts and dance. Luton said the festival acts as a significant launching ground for amateur musicians, including those competing to become the National Beginner Fiddle Champion.
“In these economic times and rather than having to pay a fortune to go see a concert or see some really, really good music and dance, this is the place to be the 4th of July,” Luton said. “We’re the best bang for the buck quite honestly.”
Luton said the decision to start the festival on Thursday at Evins Park stems from a need to streamline the schedule after previous years saw competitions last until 1 a.m. Luton said the addition of new dance categories has extended the program, necessitating the earlier start to avoid overextending the Friday and Saturday sessions.
The historic festival, honoring old-timey mountain traditions with string instruments like banjos and dulcimers draws in visitors by the tens of thousands every year.
“Our mission is to continue that tradition and every year it seems to get bigger and bigger,” Luton said. “We want to keep up with the times but yet we want to maintain our older times.”
Luton said the festival utilizes modern technology to reach a global audience, with DTC3 TV, and YouTube broadcasting the entire event from start to finish. Luton said this digital exposure resulted in viewers from all 50 states and 10 different countries tuning in during the previous year.
“To be progressive while maintaining tradition, and that can be challenging by the time you go, you know, with social media, with all kinds of streaming services,” Luton said. “Just getting that exposure out there I think will help us maintain our mission.”
Luton said the event remains free to the public through a combination of corporate sponsorships, local government support, and grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee Entertainment Commission. Luton said the festival also features approximately 200 juried Appalachian craft booths and more than a dozen food vendors to provide a complete community experience. Luton said the event helps keep old Appalachian traditions and mountain music alive.
“From Scotland basically to Virginia and Irish dance, Irish music,” Luton said. “And so we want to kind of keep that flame going as long as we possibly can and expose that to generations to come.”
Luton said the festival will culminate Saturday night with the presentation of the Blue Blaze Award to the Dan Tyminski Band and a final “fiddle-off” between the junior and senior champions.
