The Atmore Rotary Club’s 33rd annual South Alabama Old Time Fiddlers Convention was once again a draw for a large crowd Saturday afternoon at Escambia County High School.

Musicians from all around made the trip to Atmore for the daylong competition that got underway at 2 p.m. and stretched late into the evening, showcasing the talents of players in their teens to those of musical veterans.

Musicians competed in the categories of vocal band, string band, guitar, mandolin, banjo, dobro and fiddle and Saturday’s event brought a talented pool of performers, making the competition stiff.

Atmore Rotary President Jennifer Chism said she felt like the entire day was a huge success.

“It was an amazing event that exemplified the Atmore Rotary Club’s dedication to the community in its efforts to provide scholarships to area students,” Chism said. “It was a fantastic display of bluegrass prowess.”

Chism said this year’s convention brought some firsts to the event.

“It was a great display of bluegrass at is finest,” she said. “And it was the first time ever a female fiddler has been named the winner.”
Bringing home this year’s top honor in the fiddlers category was Mississippi resident Alexis Frenette. Adam Purvis won the second place award, while Spanky Chestange came in third.

Other awards on the night included:

Vocal

1. Hillspring Drive
2. Bluegrass Cartel
3. The Bell Family

String
1. Bluegrass Cartel
2. Open Range
3. Hillspring Drive

Dobro
1. Steve Crain
2. Ed Genois
3. Robert Bell

Banjo
1. Jim Elledge
2. Adam Purvis
3. Casey Reynolds

Guitar
1. Ethan Parten
2. Patrick Lowery
3. Spanky Chestang

Mandolin
1. Spanky Chestang
2. Caleb Dennis
3. Will Fink