This weekend Athens State University will welcome the 55th Annual Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention.

As part of the weekend, approximately 150 booths featuring old fashioned arts and crafts will be on-site for guests to support.

The traditional artwork will include woodworking, jewelry, home decor, fashion, metal works, and more.

More than 15,000 attendees are expected to gather at Athens State to participate in or view the competitions, concerts, and arts the weekend has to offer.

Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022

Darin and Brooke Aldridge will perform on the Founders Hall main stage at 7 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights Bank Independent will host a cash giveaway in front of Founders Hall.

Winners must be present at Founders Hall at the time of the drawing and alert the contest holder of their presence immediately and make their way to the stage within two minutes.

• Thursday night: $500
• Friday night: $1,000
• Saturday night: $1,000

Friday Oct. 7, 2022

Ticket cost: $20

Gates open: 8 a.m.

The admission ticket will pay the fee to enter into one category of competition. Entry fees for additional categories will be five dollars per category.

Balsam Range will perform on the Founders Hall main stage at 5 p.m.

Registration begins at 12 p.m. and ends 30 minutes prior to each categories competition.

Competitions held at Founders Hall stage, beginning at 7 p.m.

• Harmonica (Finals)
• Mandolin (Finals)

Bluegrass Banjo (Finals)

• Dobro (Finals)
• Dulcimer (Finals)

Competitions held on the McCandless Hall Delmore Brothers Stage, beginning at 8 p.m.

Old Time Singing (Finals)

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022

Ticket cost: $20

Gates open: 7 a.m.

The admission ticket will pay the fee to enter into one category of competition. Entry fees for additional categories will be five dollars per category. Registration for Bluegrass and Old-Time Band is $10.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage will perform on the Founders Hall main stage at 5 p.m.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. and ends 30 minutes prior to each categories competition.

Competitions held on the Brown Hall Stage, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

• Beginning Guitar (12 & under) (Finals)
• Beginning Mandolin (12 & under) (Finals)
• Beginning Banjo (12 & under) (Finals)
• Beginning Fiddler (10 & under) (Finals)
• Apprentice Fiddlers (Ages 11-15) (Finals)

Competitions held on the Founders Hall stage, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

• Guitar Finger Picking (Finals)
• Guitar Flat Picking (Finals)
• Old Time Banjo (Finals)
• Classic Old-Time Fiddler
• Senior Fiddler (Ages 55+)
• Old Time Band
• Bluegrass Band
• Tennessee Valley Fiddle Champion

Competitions held on the Brown Hall stage, beginning at 2 p.m.

• Buck Dancing

Finals held on the Founders Hall stage, beginning at 7 p.m.

• Senior Fiddler
• Classic Old-Time Fiddler
• Bluegrass Band
• Old Time String Band
• Buck Dancing
• Tennessee Valley Fiddle Champion

The Fiddlers Convention has a rich history, spanning more than five decades. The idea for the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention began when local musicians gathered in Limestone County and decided fiddling needed to be brought to the stage in Athens.

Athens hosted two successful fiddling contests and, from there, the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Association was formed and the annual convention was established.

Since then, Athens has welcomed the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention every year.