Fiddles fill Opera House for annual state contest

The Eureka Opera House was booming with fiddling tunes on May 16 and 17 as the contestants for the Nevada State Fiddlers contest filled the auditorium. Marking its ninth year in Eureka, the Nevada State Old Time Fiddlers’ Contest has been a yearly tradition since its debut in Eureka in 2016. 

The two-day competition had an itinerary packed with exciting performances from people within the state and neighboring states. This year proved to be successful, with 29 contestants coming from Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho and Oklahoma to compete.  

The first-place winners were as follows:

Junior-junior division (age 9-12) 

Jackson Benham of Redding, California

Junior division (age 13-17)

Jetta Brooks of Middleton, Idaho

Adult division (age 18-54)

Ben LiaBraaten of Yuba City, California

Senior division (age 55-69)

Joe Osborn of San Rafael, California

Senior-senior division (70+)

Randy Warner of Washoe Valley, Nevada

Grand Champion: Monte Gaylord of Nowata, Oklahoma

Nevada Junior Champion: Ruby Herz of Reno, Nevada

Nevada Adult Champion: Fiona McNeil of Reno, Nevada

Contestants had a five-minute grace period to play three different tunes during their competition, consisting of a hoedown, a waltz and a tune of choice. 

“The large crowd on Friday and Saturday had a great time and heard some spectacular fiddling,” shared Kim Russell, director and coordinator of the Nevada Old-Time Fiddlers’ Contest. The Old-Time Fiddlers’ are a 501c3 non-profit organization. Individuals interested in the organization or upcoming events can check out https://www.nevadastateold-timefiddlerscontest.com/