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Andal wins best fiddler
Peters takes Driver Award
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Jamboree Coordinator Jack Barton is shown with fiddle champion Tyer Andal of White House and runner up Gail Johnson of Lavergne.

 

The rain-soaked ending of the 44th annual Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival saw Tyler Andal of White House take the Grand Champion Fiddler award Saturday night.

 

Andal, winner of the Junior Fiddle contest, faced Senior Fiddle winner Gail Johnson of Lavergne and won the Berry C. Williams Memorial Award Saturday night in a Fiddle-Off between the best Junior and Senior Fiddler. The final contest of the event was held under the "porch" of the onstage farmhouse in a heavy downpour.

 

A short rain delay marred the Saturday morning contests, but acceptable weather prevailed for the rest of the day, until a light rain set in after dark. While some contests went ahead in spite of the drizzle, the sky opened up just before the end of the finals.

 

A young man from Nashville earned the James G. "Bobo" Driver Memorial Award, and was named the best fiddler in the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners.

 

Giri Peters was crowned the Grand Champion fiddler. The Driver award is named for the man who began the children’s competition at the Jamboree during the 1980’s. Members of the Driver family made the award presentation, including Driver’s sons Jim and Mickey, and great grandsons Logan Beauchamp, Brandon Turrentine, and Ashton Campbell.

 

Peters took first place in the Dobro Guitar, Mandolin, and Flat Top Guitar competitions, and was named the "Entertainer of the Year" as well. The Entertainer of the Year award is presented to the best overall instrumental entertainer among winners in dobro guitar, mandolin, five string banjo, and flat top guitar.

 

The Jamboree Blue Blaze Award was presented to Jamboree alumni Sierra Hull on Saturday afternoon. The award recognizes a player who is actively cultivating a love of bluegrass music. Hull first set foot on the Jamboree stage at the age of nine years. By time she was 11 she had accomponied Alison Krauss on the Grand Old Opry stage. She signed with Rounder Records at 13, and has played at the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, releasing three albums. She has also received the Presidential Scholarship from Berklee School of Music.

 

Winners in the Saturday session of the Fiddler’s Jamboree were:

 

Junior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages up to 39): First Place-Matthew Campbell of Smyrna; Second Place- Chris Stewart of Lebanon; and Third Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville.

 

Senior Old-Time Appalachian Flatfoot Dance (Ages 40 and Over): First Place- Tommy Scruggs, Jr. of Hartsville; Second Place- Stanley Reece of Gainesboro; and Third Place- Darrin Stryker of Crossville.

 

Senior Buck Dancing (Ages 40 and Over): First Place-Thomas Maupin of Murfreesboro; Second Place- Tommy Scruggs, Jr. of Hartsville; and Third Place- Eileen Stewart of Tennessee Ridge, Tennessee.

 

Senior Clogging (Ages 40 and Over): First Place-Sherry Guenther of Monterey; Second Place- Tammy Gay Scruggs of Hartsville; and Third Place- Jeff Yates of Adams, Tennessee.

 

Bluegrass Banjo: First Place-Joey Gipson of Manchester; Second Place-Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg; and Third Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville.

 

Junior Fiddlers (Ages 13-39): First Place-Tyler Andal of White House, Tennessee; Second Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro; and Third Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro, Tennessee.

 

Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville; Second Place- Tyler Andal of Whitehouse; and Third Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna.

 

Contest Fiddle (Neil Dudney Award): First Place- Tyler Andal of White House; Second Place- Justin Branum of Nashville; and Third Place- Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro. The Neil Dudney Award was presented to Andal by Dudney’s grandson Ethan Shaw.

 

Bluegrass Band: First Place- Mountain Cove Bluegrass Band of Signal Mountain; Second Place- Tennessee Bluegrass of Dyersburg; and Third Place- Bluegrass Militia of Hartsville.

 

Senior Fiddlers (Ages 40 and Over): First Place- Gail Johnson of Lavergne; Second Place- Billy Brewer of Lyles, Tennessee; and Third Place- Marcia Denton of Murfreesboro

 

Square Dancing: First Place-Rocky Top Revue of Franklin; Second Place- Main Stage Fusion of Springfield;and Third Place- Harpeth River of Franklin.

 

National Championship for Country Musician Beginners (for children up to age twelve) winners were:

 

Fiddle: First Place- Giri Peters of Nashville; Second Place- Uma Peters of Nashville; and Third Place- Kate Ward of Kuttawa, Kentucky

 

Buck Dancing: First Place- Isabella McCoy of Brush Creek; Second Place- Kaelin Wade of Paris, Tennessee; and Third Place- Gracie Parrish of Pleasant View

 

Clogging: First Place- Kaelin Wade of Paris, Tennessee; Second Place- Isabella McCoy of Brush Creek; and Third Place- Lexi Huntley of Loretto.

 

Dobro Guitar: First Place- Giri Peters of Nashville; Second Place- Maddie McKenney of Cullman, Alabama.

 

Mandolin: First Place-Giri Peters of Nashville; Second Place-Isabella McCoy of Brush Creek; and Third Place- Evan Morse of Smithville.

 

Five String Banjo: First Place- Uma Peters of Nashville; Second Place- Lexi Huntley of Loretto; and Third Place- Noah Aikens of Cookeville

 

Flat Top Guitar: First Place- Giri Peters of Nashville; Second Place- Noah Aikens of Cookeville; and Third Place- Robert Wheeler of Smithville.

 

State Senator Mae Beavers and State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Mark Pody presented flags flown over the state capitol to Jamboree-goers who had traveled the greatest distances from inside and outside the state and the country to get to the event. Herbert Staggs and Sid Long, both of Memphis, received a Tennessee State flag. Donda Kreatschman, from Alaska, Copeland Elena Muralla, from the Phillipines and Svetlana Suleymeneva of UST’ Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan were presented United States flags.

 

Friday winners in Jamboree preliminary competition included:

 

Old Time Appalachian Folk Singing (Solo):

 

•First Place- Amanda McKenney of Cullman, Alabama

 

•Second Place-Kelcy Tomlin of Springfield

 

•Third Place-Josiah Tyree of Carthage

 

Junior Clogging (Ages 13-39):

 

•First Place-Chris Stewart of Lebanon

 

•Second Place-Shelby Dunn of Fairview

 

•Third Place-Jamie Hash of Walland

 

Junior Buck Dancing (Ages 13-39):

 

•First Place- Jason Wade of Paris, Tennessee

 

•Second Place-Chris Stewart of Lebanon

 

•Third Place-Sierra Tomlin of Springfield

 

Old Time Appalachian Folksinging (Duet, Trio, Quartet)

 

•First Place- Sierra and Kelcy Tomlin of Springfield

 

•Second Place- The McKenneys of Cullman, Alabama

 

•Third Place-Short Mountain Strangers of Smithville

 

Dobro Guitar:

 

•First Place-Joey Gipson of Manchester

 

•Second Place-Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro

 

•Third Place-Robbie Harris of Rockvale

 

Mountain Dulcimer:

 

•First Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna

 

•Second Place-Tyler Andal of White House

 

•Third Place-Daniel Amick of Centerville

 

Hammer Dulcimer:

 

•First Place-Pamela Sanders of Sparta

 

•Second Place- Mac Garner of Maryville

 

Novelty Event:

 

•First Place- Kurt and Joey of Manchester

 

•Second Place-Haint Hollow Hootenanny of Unionville

 

•Third Place-Hillary Klug of Shelbyville

 

Autoharp:

 

•First Place- Austin Derryberry of Shelbyville

 

•Second Place-Pamela Sanders of Sparta

 

•Third Place-Bettye Kash of Cookeville

 

Gospel Singing (Solo):

 

•First Place-Amanda McKenney of Cullman, Alabama

 

•Second Place- Elizabeth Koegler of Smithville

 

•Third Place-Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg

 

Country Harmonica:

 

•First Place-Rob Pearcy of Smyrna

 

•Second Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville

 

•Third Place- Tyler Martelli of Chattanooga

 

Old Time Banjo:

 

•First Place- Josiah Tyree of Carthage

 

•Second Place- Tyler Andal of White House

 

•Third Place- Austin Derryberry of Shelbyville

 

Youth Square Dancing:

 

•First Place-Jackson Hollow of Franklin

 

•Second Place- Main Stage Revolution of Springfield

 

•Third Place- Main Stage Explosion of Springfield

 

Gospel Singing (Duet, Trio, & Quartet):

 

•First Place- The Jenkins Family of Wilder, Tennessee

 

•Second Place- Sandi Kay’s New Hickory of Lebanon

 

•Third Place- Kurt and Andrea of Dyersburg

 

Mandolin:

 

•First Place-Daniel Amick of Carthage

 

•Second Place- Tyler Andal of White House

 

•Third Place- Kurt Stephenson of Dyersburg

 

Old Time Fiddle Band:

 

•First Place-Uncle Shuffelo and His Haint Hollow Hootenanny of Unionville

 

•Second Place- Flat Rock String Band of Manchester

 

•Third Place- The P&J String Band of Nashville

 

Meanwhile, Craft Award winners were also named Friday at the Jamboree. The awards were presented by Fiddler’s Jamboree Director of Crafts Emma Adkins, Olivia Norton and Macie Bouldin.

 

Larry and Deb Drake of Nashville received the "Best of Show" award for their display of handmade Sterling Silver Gemstone Jewelry.

 

Fawn Gabel of Gatlinburg was presented the "Best Appalachian Craft" award for her display of Appalachian String Instruments handmade by Danny Williams of Winston Salem, North Carolina.

 

The "Best Newcomer" Award went to Thomas Nunnery of Jena, Louisiana for his hand sculpted bird feeders and wine bottles.

 

Scott Cantrell of Livingston received the "Best Display" award for his chainsaw art.