Off The Rails – 1st Bluegrass Band at the Old Fiddlers’ Convention 2024 – Photo © G Nicholas Hancock

The 88^th The Old Fiddlers Convention’s annual open competition, held August 5-10 at Felts Park in Galax, VA, concluded at 1:00 a.m. Sunday after the final winner was announced.

The 2024 winners in order of ranking are:

Old violin

1. Annisa Burnett – Johnson City, Tennessee
2. Aila Wildman – Floyd, VA
3. Cody Bauer – Knoxville, TN
4. Raistlin Brabson – Boones Mill, VA
5. Richard Bowman – Mt Airy, NC
6. Matt Kirwin – Hayes, VA
7. Janie Rothfield – Staunton, California
8. Adrian Powell – Richmond, VA
9. Deb Shebish – Winston-Salem, NC
10. Kevin Fore – Galax, VA

Bluegrass fiddle

1. Ruth Shumway – West Jefferson, NC
2. Alice Gould – Rincon, GA
3. Ella Thomas – West Columbia, SC
4. Nathan Aldridge – Graham, NC
5. Daniel Greeson – Jamestown, NC
6. Hollace Oakes – Snowville, VA
7. Rex McGee – King, NC
8. John Hofmann – Thomasville, NC
9. Glen Alexander – Charlotte, NC
10. Stephen Fraleigh – Raleigh, NC

mandolin

1. Brian Muller – Christiansburg, VA
2. Lucy Lindblom – Bloomingdale, GA
3. Alan McMillian – Cana, VA
4. Todd Hiatt – State Road, NC
5. Aaron Combs – Galax, VA
6. Adam McPeak – Max Meadows, VA
7. Ralph McGee – King, NC
8. Greg Goodson – Charlottesville, VA
9. Greg Jones, Mount Airy, NC
10. Tim Perry – Statesville, NC

Dobro

1. Holger Olesen – Birchdale, MN
2. NR Taylor – Wytheville, VA
3. Luke Lindblom – Bloomingdale, GA
4. Keith Aiken – Henderson, NC
5. Ryan Blevins – Marion, Va
6. Robert Ellis – Mocksville, NC
7. Johnathan – McHone – Danbury, NC
8. Asenath Easter – Cana, VA
9. Pammy Lassiter – West End, NC
10. Matthew Zuckerman – Baltimore, MD

Clawhammer Banjo

1. Marsha Todd – Mount Airy, NC
2. Jared Boyd – Galax, VA
3. Trish Fore – Galax, VA
4. Kelley Breiding – Crumpler, NC
5. Robbie Herman – Taylorsville, NC
6. Jim Lloyd – Rural Retreat, VA
7. Garrett Wyatt – Independence, VA
8. Adam Beshears – Elkin, NC
9. Cody Jackson – Wytheville, VA
10. Steven Casto – Marlington, West Virginia

Bluegrass Banjo

1. Travis Watts – Mount Airy, NC
2. Luciya Sullivan – Evanston, IL
3. Ayden Young – Roanoke, VA
4. James McDowell – Hendersonville, NC
5. Ryan Rissler – Chambersburg, PA
6. Elijah Ellenburg – Liberty, SC
7. Taylor Shuck – Louisville, KY
8. Ettore Buzzini – Mooresville, NC
9. Stewart Werner III – Stuart, VA
10. Anthony Howell – Kosciusko, MS

dulcimer

1. Kendra Ward – Bidwell, OH
2. Kimberly Dean – Roanoke, VA
3. Diane Parker – Galax, VA
4. Tim Thorton – Shawsville, VA
5. Eva Casstevens – Mocksville, NC
6. Danny Casstevens, – Mocksville, NC
7. Sharon Boyd – Colonial Heights, VA
8. Carla Ann Foster – Huddleston, VA
9. Barry Martin – Henry, VA
10. Frank Horn – North Tazewell, VA

Autoharp

1. David Kilby – Peach Bottom, PA
2. Lois Shumaker – Olin, NC
3. Ronnie Burroughs – Keysville, VA
4. Tyler Hughes – Big Stone Gap, VA
5. Vicki Boyd – Laurel Fork, VA
6. Lu Furtado – Winston-Salem, NC
7. Elizabeth Merkhofer – Washington, DC
8. Virgil Adams – Galax, VA
9. James Moore – Roanoke, VA
10. Libby Kahn – Fries, VA

guitar

1. Eric Hardin – Warrensville, NC
2. John Garris – Durham, NC
3. Steve Lewis – Laurel Springs, NC
4. Libby Lindblom – Bloomingdale, GA
5. Lucas White – Galax, VA
6. Chad Harrison – Claudeville, VA
7. Geary Allen – Johnson City, TN
8. Graydon Shepherd – West Jefferson, NC
9. Burning Ernst – Philadelphia, PA
10. Oscar Caudell – Asheville, NC

Folk song

1. Anneli Burnett – Boone, NC
2. Emily Tucker – Ferrum, VA
3. Tucker Connor – Fleetwood, NC
4. Chloe Mylet – Winston-Salem, NC
5. Melinda Kenney – Galax, VA
6. Carolyn Munn – Monroe, NC
7. Megan White – Greensboro, NC
8. Tierra Raiti – Asheville, NC
9. Emma Tickle – Christiansburg, VA
10. Jack Zell – Austinville, VA

Youth folk song

1. Tucker Conner – Fleetwood, NC
2. Leo Lindblom – Bloomingdale, GA
3. Jasie Slaughter – Willis, VA
4. Lucy Smith – Johnson City, Tennessee
5. Kyrie Sexton – Galax, VA

Flatfoot dance

1. Jacob Fennell – Dickson, Tennessee
2. Margo MacSweeney – Floyd, VA
3. Brett Morris – Galax, VA
4. Delbert Dunford – Wytheville, VA
5. Barbara Bowman – Mt. Airy, NC
6. Julie Powell – Boone, NC
7. Brian Ferguson – Rocky Mount, VA
8. Mitchell Robinson – Galax, VA
9. Nora Powell – Boone, NC
10. Laura Sumner – Galax, VA

Youth Flatfoot Dance

1. Margo MacSweeney – Floyd, VA
2. Nora Powell – Boone, NC
3. Jude Morris – Saltville, VA
4. Misha MacSweeney – Floyd, VA
5. Noah Fennell – Dickson, Tennessee

Bluegrass Band

1. Derailed – Galax, VA
2. The Old Time Bluegrass Band – State Road, NC
3. Outhouse Ramblers – Salem, VA
4. The Jakes of State Farm – Stoneville, NC
5. Hot-N-Bothered – Christiansburg, VA
6. Carolina Ridgeline – Roaring Gap, NC
7. Coyote Ugly – Kingsport, Tennessee
8. Son – Radford, VA
9. Harrison Ridge – Woodlawn, VA
10. Hammaville – Bedford, VA
11. Bluegrass Brothers – Salem, VA
12. Loyle Dawson and Slick Quiver – Mocksville, NC
13. Blessings from the Mountains – Mount Airy, NC
14. New River Line – Galax, VA
15. On the way home – Bloomingdale, GA

Old Time Band

1. Maggodee Creek Boys – Boones Mill, VA
2. The New Critter Connection – Damascus, VA
3. Twin Creeks String Band – Ferrum, VA
4. The Wildcats – Galax, VA
5. Whoopin’ Holler String Band – Marlington, West Virginia
6. The Hooligans – Galax, VA
7. New River Bound – Christiansburg, VA
8. Slate Mountain Ramblers – Mount Airy, NC
9. Southern Pride – Hillsville, VA
10. Roadkill Roadrunner – Johnson City, Tennessee
11. Anger in the air – Callaway, VA
12. Young Adult – Galax, VA
13. Mud Hole Control – Marlinton, WV
14. The Surry County Broadcasters – Mount Airy, NC
15. The Carolina Squat – King, NC

Best all-round performer – Kendra Ward (Dulcimer) – Bidwell, OH