[1] The event started in 1981, becoming part of Klondike Days (known as K-Days) in the 1990s, and with virtual contests held during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
[2] Prior to the official event, similar contests held as fundraisers occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s to help local communities.
[5] People would gather at neighbours’ homes for jam sessions, similar to a kitchen party or ceilidh elsewhere in Canada, leading to both a way to transmit music and a way to reinforce social networks in rural places.
Referencing the Wild Rose Old Tyme Fiddler's Association in particular, Stormer notes that “the music serves as the means for bringing people together and provides a common interest among the club’s members that helps to bond them together.” [6] The Wild Rose association grew from a necessity to help promote and fund fiddling contests and gatherings in Alberta, founded in 1989.
[10] The first contest also included a guest appearance by Graham Townsend, and saw fiddlers from across North America compete.
[14] The audience turnout was disappointing, with fewer than 1500 total spectators over the weekend, worrying organizers that the contest wasn't sustainable.
Financial hardship in the late 1980s and early 1990s, especially due to the recession and low turnout, meant the cancellation of the event for a few years.
[3] The contest has grown since then, attracting sponsorship from the Government of Canada, local municipalities, and various fiddling associations.
[1] They had contestants ages ranging from 6 to 101, with several winners going on to become Canadian Grand Masters, including Patti Kusturok, Ethan Harty, James Steele, and Paul Lemelin.
Their guest artists have included Graham Townsend, Al Cherney, Frankie Rogers, and former champions Alfie Myhre and Calvin Vollrath.
It includes jam sessions, an old time barn dance, youth camp, the fiddle contest, a concert, and an afterparty.