Maritime Fiddle Festival

The 1926 Pictou Exhibition also included an old-time fiddle contest, asking competitors to play two strathspeys and two reels.

[5] Fiddle music became a part of the culture, especially for dances, and also helped to inspire local Maritime musicians and songwriters.

[6] Fiddler Keith Ross noted that growing up, families would gather around the radio just to listen to Messer's show.

As noted by step-dancer and fiddler Sherry Anne Johnson, contests allowed musicians to understand the culture.

Johnson also mentions that contests showcase changes in fiddling overtime, and the influence of competition and push to advanced technique and playing leading to the refinement.

This spread fear that American culture would overtake that of Canada, a primary factor explored by the 1949 Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences.

The same fear influenced a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) film on the loss of traditional fiddle music in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in 1972.

The initial organizing committee consisted of Ed Greenough, Father Ernest Sweeney, Charlie Lethbridge, Don Currie, Jack Brenton, John MacCormick, and George Meisner.

Won by Ingonish fiddler Mike MacDougall, it also showcased the reach of festival into all corners of the Maritime region.

[12] The increase of ticket sales and competitors also meant the festival could pay star fiddlers to perform during the event.

[11] Due to the Dartmouth Memorial Rink burning down, organizers also moved the festival to Woodlawn High School (Nova Scotia).

The festival further benefitted from the inclusion of fiddling and violin in the school curriculums, creating stronger musicians able to read and study music.

Organizer Jim Delaney noted that as the festival grew, "the high caliber of participants attract other outstanding fiddlers.

[14] Their awards also expanded to include prizes for youngest and oldest fiddlers, and they added a fiddle mass and jamboree on Sunday.

The fiddle, a gift from famed fiddler Graham Townsend, remained in the Messer family until put on consignment at Halifax's Folklore Centre.

[19][20][21] The funding is meant to help support arts festivals, and allow the public to participate in heritage events.

[22] The festival celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024, with plans to return to the two-day format, with both fiddle and step dance classes.

Fiddle contestants are asked to play a waltz, jig, and reel (in that order) within 4 minutes, and all songs must be consider old-time.

[24] Mi'kmaw fiddler Lee Cremo holds the record for most champion titles in the Open Class with six wins.

Awarded in recognition of a community member who represents the qualities of Tara Lynne Touesnard and works towards the promotion of old-time fiddle.