The 47th Annual Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival is now in progress and continues until the final competition has been awarded.

“We are looking for a record crowd this year,” said Sam Stout, second year President and Coordinator of the Festival.

The Fiddlers Jamboree is always in search of new ideas to improve the show and this year a dining tent is being added to give visitors a more comfortable place to eat while they are in town.

“We’re having a 40’ x 60’ dining tent where people can sit and enjoy their food in the comfort of some shade with a nice table and some chairs so they don’t have to balance the food on their laps. This is the first time we have done that and we think it will really be good for the food vendors. There is just a lot of great things we are trying to do to improve the festival and it’s going well,” said Stout.

The Fiddlers Jamboree also launched a new website this year at www.fiddlersjamboree.com

Highlight on-stage attractions of the Fiddlers Jamboree each year are the square dancing, the competition for beginners up to age 12, and of course, the Fiddle-Off between the grand champion Junior and Senior Fiddler. The community chorus is featured during the opening ceremony on Friday evening and on Saturday night, the Blue Blaze Award is presented. This year’s recipient is Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper.

“We give this award every year to someone who has done great things in bluegrass music. This year the recipient will be Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper. Michael is a phenomenal musician. He actually performed here when he was nine years old. He has won more bluegrass fiddle player of the year awards than anybody in that history. He is an incredible talent. We invite everybody to come and see him. Michael is completely blind but that has not stopped him from playing the fiddle. Trust me you have never in your life heard anybody play a fiddle like Michael Cleveland,” said Stout.

With over 35 music and dance categories, streets full of hand-made crafts, and over a dozen food booths, there is something for everyone at the Jamboree. You have to experience it in person…come and see the Jamboree!

Preliminaries will be held in the following categories on Friday, July 6:

Old Time Appalachian Folksinging (Solo); Junior Clogging (ages 13-39); Junior Buck Dancing (ages 13-39); Old-Time Appalachian Folksinging (Duet, Trio, Quartet); Dobro Guitar; Mountain Dulcimer; Hammer Dulcimer; Novelty Event (Spoon Clacking, Jug Blowing, Washboard, Tub, Saws-Appalachian Related Only); Autoharp, Gospel Singing (Solo); Country Harmonica; Old Time Banjo; Youth Square Dancing (4 Couples-8 Total Dancers); Gospel Singing (Duet,Trio, and Quartet); Mandolin; and Old Time Fiddle Band.

The top three acts in each category will be called back for the finals on Friday night and a first, second, and third place will be awarded.

A United States flag and a Tennessee State flag will be presented on Friday evening. The flags, which have flown over the state capitol, go to the persons who travel the greatest distances, both from inside and outside the country, to get here. The flags will be presented by State Senator Mark Pody and State Representatives Terri Lynn Weaver and Clark Boyd.

The Smithville Community Chorus is expected to perform with a variety of patriotic songs.

Fiddler’s Jamboree Craft Awards will be presented during the weekend for “Best of Show”, “Best Appalachian Craft”, “Best Newcomer”, and “Best Craft Display”

On Saturday, July 7, preliminaries will be held in the following categories:

Junior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance (ages up to 39); Senior Old Time Appalachian Flatfoot dance ( ages 40 and over); Senior Buckdancing (ages 40 and over); Senior Clogging (ages 40 and over); Bluegrass Banjo; Junior Fiddlers (ages 13-39); Flat Top Guitar; Contest Fiddle for the Neil Dudney Award; Bluegrass Band; Senior Fiddlers (ages 40 and over); and Square Dancing (4 Couples-8 Total Dancers).

Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be called back Saturday night to compete for first, second, and third place.

Award-winning fiddle player Michael Cleveland has been named the 2018 Blue Blaze Award Winner for the Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree & Crafts Festival and he will be accepting the award on Saturday, July 7th at 5pm followed by a mini-concert by Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper.

The winners of the Junior and Senior Fiddling competition will square off for the Grand Champion Award, the Berry C. Williams Memorial Trophy at the conclusion of the festival.

Meanwhile, the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners will be held Saturday afternoon, July 7 during the Jamboree featuring competitions for children, up to age twelve, in the categories of Buck Dancing, Clogging, Dobro Guitar, Mandolin, Five String Banjo, Flat Top Guitar, and Fiddle.

Preliminaries will be held in each event and then the top three finalists will be brought back to compete for first, second, and third place.

One child will receive the Best Overall Instrumental Entertainer Trophy Award and the top fiddler will get the James G. “Bobo” Driver Memorial Trophy.

In addition to the on-stage musical entertainment, the Fiddlers Jamboree will feature many crafts, plenty of delicious food; and lots of shade tree picking around the public square.

WJLE will broadcast most of the on-stage entertainment LIVE on AM 1480/ FM 101.7 and LIVE Streaming at www.wjle.com.

For more information on the festival, go to www.fiddlersjamboree.com

Former Nashville Congressman Bob Clement will be the keynote speaker at a Get-Out-The Vote potluck lunch hosted by the DeKalb County Democratic Party on Saturday, July 14 at the county complex in Smithville starting at 11 a.m..

The rally is in support of candidates running in the DeKalb County General Election and Tennessee State Primary. Candidates running for office will also have an opportunity to speak. Music will be provided by Jake Hoot. Please join them for food fun and music. If you have a special dish feel free to share.

Clement, the former Congressman who represented Cheatham, Dickson and Davidson Counties in Washington from 1987 to 2002, served in the National Guard from 1969 to 1971, and remained in the reserves until 2001. In 1978 he ran unsuccessfully for Governor in the Democratic Primary but later served on the TVA Board of Directors and was elected to the Tennessee Public Service Commission. He came on as president of Cumberland University in 1983. Clement lost his first bid for a Congressional seat in 1982 but was elected to the U.S House of Representatives in 1988. He ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate in 2002 and ended his career in politics after a narrow loss to Karl Dean for the office Mayor of Nashville in 2007. His father is the late Tennessee Governor Frank Clement.

Clement co-authored a book, “Presidents, Kings and Convicts: My Journey from the Tennessee Governor’s Residence to the Halls of Congress,” which was published in October 2016. The book chronicles Clement’s years of being in Congress, serving in the military, and being President of Cumberland University.