Fiddlers Weekend Set For Berlin

BERLIN – The historic town of Berlin will once again host its annual
Fiddlers Convention on Sept. 19-21 on Main
Street.

Organized by the Berlin
Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by local businesses, this event is part concert
and part competition and has grown to become the mid-Atlantic region’s largest
festival of its kind with dozens of competitors and thousands of spectators.

Headlining this year’s
Friday Night Free Concert is National Bluegrass recording artists Blue Moon
Rising, a national touring band based out of Tennessee. The group garnered international
recognition a few years ago with the release of its album, On the Rise,
debuting at No. 14 on the Billboard’s Bluegrass Chart in 2005 and is still
charting into 2008. They have recently released a new album, “One Lonely
Shadow”.

Opening for Blue Moon
Rising will be last year’s Berlin Fiddlers Convention Best Band winners Gold
Heart. This will start a new tradition of awarding the first-place band a paid
gig at the following year’s event Sponsoring this year’s Best Band Category is
Boomer’s Restaurant , which will also debut this year as a food vendor at the
festival.

Also new to this year’s
competition will be the addition of an “Open” category where musicians can compete
on traditional Bluegrass instruments like the dobro, harmonica, autoharp, and
mountain dulcimer, in addition to the fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo. All
instrumental categories are open to both youth and adults and will award cash
prizes for the top three musicians.

The competition will
begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. following a patriotic opening ceremony.
Registration will also start at 10 a.m. or competitors can register in advance
at www.berlinfiddlersconvention.com.

Among the judges this
year will be legendary fiddler Jon Glik or “Baltimore Jonny” as he is sometimes
called by his large following of Bluegrass
fans and fellow world-renowned musicians.

On Sunday, the event
wraps up with a Bluegrass Gospel Jam, hosted by The Country Grass, beginning at
10 a.m. The Country Grass, under the leadership of Bill Vollmer, has been
playing bluegrass on the shore for over 25 years and can be seen “pickin’ on the
corner of Main and Commerce Streets in front of Victorian Charm on most
Thursday evenings.
At noon, the jam’s theme returns to regular bluegrass and again, all are
welcome. Advance sign up is requested to allow everyone a chance to perform.

All Berlin Fiddlers
Convention entertainment is free. Donations and sponsors are always welcomed.
Contestants and musicians wishing to compete or participate in the jams or
other interested persons should contact event chairman Steve Frene at
410-219-3500, ext. 13.