Ashe County Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention
July 25-26, 2025
Ashe County Park: 527 Ashe Park Rd, Jefferson, NC 28640
2025 ASHE COUNTY BLUEGRASS AND OLD TIME FIDDLERS CONVENTION
Ashe County Arts Council is committed to preserving and honoring the musical heritage of our community, and what better way to do that than with a super weekend of music! Any proceeds from the Fiddlers Convention are used to support the Junior Appalachian Musicians Program or JAM. JAM provides instruction at the Ashe Civic Center in fiddle, banjo and guitar for students in grades 3-8.
The 54th annual Fiddlers Convention will be held at Ashe County Park July 25-26, rain or shine. The weekend will be filled with individual instrumental and band competitions with $4350 in prize money for the winners, a Friday evening concert, food, and good times for musicians and audience members alike.
Quick Links
The Fiddlers Convention Kicks Off Friday Night with New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters and Sassafras Concert!
Enjoy an opening set with the Ashe County JAM students.
Friday Night Concert Schedule
5:45 PM – Ashe County JAM Students
6:15 PM – Sassafras
7:30 PM– New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters
The New Ballard’s Branch Bogtrotters
Based in Galax, Virginia, the New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters carry on the tradition of old-time mountain music, named in honor of the original Bogtrotters who won the first Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention in 1935. Today’s lineup includes Dennis Hall, Eddie and Bonnie Bond, Josh Ellis, and Caroline Noel Beverley. A fixture at regional dances and conventions, they’ve also performed at the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Folk Festival, and more.
Sassafras
Sassafras blends traditional bluegrass with progressive Newgrass, country, folk, and swing. Based in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Foothills, the band’s members have performed with legends like Doc Watson and Tony Rice. Their festival credits include MerleFest, Walnut Valley, and international stages across Europe, Japan, and New Zealand.
About the Judges
Kyle Dean Smith is from Grayson Country, VA and has lived a life deeply entrenched in oldtime and bluegrass music.His father, Kyle “Snake” Smith, was a well-known and respected guitarist and banjoist in the region and played with many notable musicians such as George Pegram, Kyle Creed, Fred Cockerham, and Tommy Jarrell; this was Kyle Dean’s childhood. Kyle Dean is a multi-instrumentalist who was appeared on countless recordings with artists such as Martha Spencer and Kitty Amaral and performed with artists such as Kenny and Amanda Smith and John Hartford.
Kilby Spencer is an award winning fiddle player in both old-time and bluegrass styles as well as a sought after guitar player. He has been playing old-time music for most of his life, learning from his parents, Thornton and Emily Spencer, who have been performing in the Whitetop Mountain Band for over 40 years. Kilby has also collected and digitized rare local recordings for many years and serves on the board of the Field Recorder’s Collective, who mission is to preserve and release rare field and home recordings. Kilby also formed his own award winning band over ten years ago, The Crooked Road Ramblers, who have played many prestigious venues such as The National Folk Festival, The Richmond Folk Festival, and Floydfest.
Andrew Small is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and composer based in Southwest Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A versatile performer, he tours internationally with The Alum Ridge Boys & Ashlee and as part of the duo Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small. Originally from Eastern North Carolina, he holds a master’s degree from Yale and has performed with artists like Sierra Hull and Mandolin Orange. He was the inaugural Artist-in-Residence for The Crooked Road and completed a Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship with master fiddler Eddie Bond. Andrew’s talents have earned him top prizes at major fiddlers’ conventions and MerleFest’s Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. His original music has appeared in documentaries, podcasts, and on PBS, and he has taught at East Tennessee State University and Ferrum College.
About the Emcee
Dale Morris has had a long running history with old time and bluegrass music. He grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and started playing music in 1974. After many years playing and then judging contests, Dale was asked to serve as an emcee at fiddlers’ conventions and bluegrass festivals. He emcees at most of the annual conventions held in SW Virginia and NW North Carolina nowadays, and he has been the master of ceremonies at the Ashe County Fiddlers since 2014.