By Staff
A knee slappin’ good time
By Adrienne McKenzie
For the second year in a row I have attended the Atmore Rotary Club’s Fiddlers Convention and it was a blast!
I will be the first to admit that the music played at the Fiddlers Convention is not exactly my cup of tea. My radio’s dial is mostly set to pop, rock, R&B or Christian music. I know, a weird combo, but it is what ‘floats my boat.’
So last year when the Fiddlers Convention rolled around and it was my weekend to work- remember that I must be honest when I write this- I was not too thrilled.
But after the event my thoughts were, ‘wow, that wasn’t so bad.’
After Saturday evening’s convention, my thoughts are ‘that was fun!’ I even wanted to stand up and dance a few times!
There were some extremely talented individuals at the Fiddlers Convention this year. Brothers Daniel and Chad MaHarry were both amazing musicians. Also the group Hwy. 99 was one of my favorite bands in the competition.
Overall, the day seemed successful with all the people who were in the Rachel Patterson Elementary School cafeteria. I never thought so many people would be able to squeeze into there, but it was actually comfortable.
The competitors were also great. They each had their own style and attitude as they played their respective instruments.
It is awesome that the Rotary Club continues to hold this event each year. Next year’s event will mark 30 years of fiddling and that’s a good number to achieve when holding something annually.
Keith Castleberry, event coordinator, did a great job in making sure this event came together Saturday. There were some setbacks. The usual location, Escambia County High School, is undergoing major renovations and the Rotary Club had to act fast to find somewhere to hold this year’s event. The principal at Rachel Patterson, who happens to be my mother, Susan McKenzie, said ‘sure, come on and have it here’ when asked if the school would be available. The Rotary Club worked hard to have the school ready and the event was grand!
I personally showed up at the school around 2:45 p.m. I left for a brief period to grab a bite to eat (I had forgotten my purse and did not want to bum money off anyone for food) and I stayed until the event was over. I have to say again that I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I know I won’t be living in Atmore when next year’s Fiddlers Convention rolls around, but I hope whoever takes my place here at the Advance will enjoy him or herself as much as I did.
Adrienne McKenzie is managing editor for The Atmore Advance. She can be reached at 368-2123 or emailed at lifestyles@atmoreadvance.com