As devotees of a certain musical genre may have surmised by now, I am in the heart of the annual Galax Old Fiddlers’ Convention, held the second week of August every year in southwestern Virginia. It’s the oldest, biggest and, arguably, most gen-u-ine fiddlers’ convention in the country—and this year marks the 75th anniversary of an event renowned for its vast range of musical talent and serious down-home vibe. Indeed, Galax is something of an American mecca for both fans and practitioners of mountain music, as well as those who just like a multi-day, often muddy outdoor party that features more musical action offstage than on—and that is saying something, given that hundreds of individuals and bands compete officially for prizes and a modest moment of glory. Says Guthrie, “Some of the best pickers in the world show up here.”
Galax has just fewer than 7,000 residents, but come festival week every year, the town’s population swells by an additional 40,000 people or so as music fans and music players pour into the area. Many come from nearby hills and hollers, others from big-name cities and anonymous villages, from up and down the East Coast and far beyond. Most have been here before. I meet people from Oregon and California, even Sweden and Japan. As Warrenton resident Kevin Roop puts it, fingering his banjo, “This time of year, I get the urge.”
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