(Sept. 10, 2015) The Berlin Fiddler’s Convention returns to Main Street for three days of free family-friendly live entertainment that will include youth and adult musical competitions, Sept. 18-20.
The local act, Such Fools, winners of last year’s full-band competition, will kick off the 23rd annual festival with a set next Friday at 7 p.m. at the north end of Main Street. Headliner Bob Perilla’s Big Hillbilly Bluegrass will immediately follow.
On Saturday, the competition portion of Fiddler’s will move to the south end of Main Street. Running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the competition will feature adult and children’s categories for the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and full band.
Signup will remain open until the day of the event and awards will be presented at the conclusion of the competition.
New this year to the convention this year will be nearly a dozen art vendors working together as “companies,” according to Chamber of Commerce Administrative Assistant Morgan Coulson, one of the event’s organizers.
“We’re including vendors who sell items such as artwork made out of recycled CDs and vinyl albums, and guitars made out of cigar boxes – musically themed work that we thought would mesh well with the festival,” she said. “We’ve also got some amazing local artists coming and bringing coastal-themed art and jewelry, as well as mosaic glass work, pop art, knit goods, and much more.”
Coulson said this year’s event would also be more kid-friendly than in year’s past and will feature a moon bounce on Saturday and additional activities provided by Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services. Additionally, Big Brother Big Sister will have a table for face painting.
“We also wanted to make sure that adults had an opportunity to enjoy the entire weekend, not just the day of the competition, so we were lucky enough to have Burley Oak sponsor us, and we will have a beer garden both for Friday night’s events and all day Saturday,” Coulson said. “We also will have food vendors on Friday and Saturday, which is a first for us.”
The chamber will raffle off two instruments during the event: a beginner fiddle donated by Beach Music, and a mandolin donated by Eastman Strings. Tickets are $5 each, three for $10, or 10 for $20.
A Gospel Bluegrass Jam will close the weekend on the lawn of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum on Main Street from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Coulson said the three-day festival has earned its reputation as a signature event for both the town and the chamber.
“Berlin was voted “America’s Coolest Small Town” for a reason, and it’s events like the Fiddler’s Convention that put us on the map,” she said. “We want people to feel they are having the best time every time they step onto the streets of Berlin. That is why this year we’ve brought in so many new ideas – blending the old with the new to try and make the most enjoyable experience possible for our visitors.
“We are constantly trying to improve our events and we believe our music festival is going to be better than ever,” Coulson continued. “In short, we want people to drink, eat, dance, forget about their worries and have a good time with great music.”
For more information, call 410-641-4775 or visit www.berlinchamber.org.
The local act, Such Fools, winners of last year’s full-band competition, will kick off the 23rd annual festival with a set next Friday at 7 p.m. at the north end of Main Street. Headliner Bob Perilla’s Big Hillbilly Bluegrass will immediately follow.
On Saturday, the competition portion of Fiddler’s will move to the south end of Main Street. Running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the competition will feature adult and children’s categories for the fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo and full band.
Signup will remain open until the day of the event and awards will be presented at the conclusion of the competition.
New this year to the convention this year will be nearly a dozen art vendors working together as “companies,” according to Chamber of Commerce Administrative Assistant Morgan Coulson, one of the event’s organizers.
“We’re including vendors who sell items such as artwork made out of recycled CDs and vinyl albums, and guitars made out of cigar boxes – musically themed work that we thought would mesh well with the festival,” she said. “We’ve also got some amazing local artists coming and bringing coastal-themed art and jewelry, as well as mosaic glass work, pop art, knit goods, and much more.”
Coulson said this year’s event would also be more kid-friendly than in year’s past and will feature a moon bounce on Saturday and additional activities provided by Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services. Additionally, Big Brother Big Sister will have a table for face painting.
“We also wanted to make sure that adults had an opportunity to enjoy the entire weekend, not just the day of the competition, so we were lucky enough to have Burley Oak sponsor us, and we will have a beer garden both for Friday night’s events and all day Saturday,” Coulson said. “We also will have food vendors on Friday and Saturday, which is a first for us.”
The chamber will raffle off two instruments during the event: a beginner fiddle donated by Beach Music, and a mandolin donated by Eastman Strings. Tickets are $5 each, three for $10, or 10 for $20.
A Gospel Bluegrass Jam will close the weekend on the lawn of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum on Main Street from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Coulson said the three-day festival has earned its reputation as a signature event for both the town and the chamber.
“Berlin was voted “America’s Coolest Small Town” for a reason, and it’s events like the Fiddler’s Convention that put us on the map,” she said. “We want people to feel they are having the best time every time they step onto the streets of Berlin. That is why this year we’ve brought in so many new ideas – blending the old with the new to try and make the most enjoyable experience possible for our visitors.
“We are constantly trying to improve our events and we believe our music festival is going to be better than ever,” Coulson continued. “In short, we want people to drink, eat, dance, forget about their worries and have a good time with great music.”
For more information, call 410-641-4775 or visit www.berlinchamber.org.