The first day of the 47th Annual Smithville Fiddlers Jamboree and Crafts Festival Friday featured lots of singing, picking, dancing, and rain.

Two long rain delays forced organizers of the Jamboree to alter the Friday schedule, moving the traditional opening ceremony at 6 p.m. to Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. The youth square dancing preliminaries, which began Friday before the second round of rain, will be completed on Saturday prior to the National Championship for Country Musician Beginners. The finals for youth square dancing will follow the beginners competition. Meanwhile the finals of the Junior Clogging and Buck Dancing will also be held on Saturday to open the day’s events at 9 a.m. The dancing categories were moved to Saturday to keep the contestants from performing on a wet stage.

Thunderstorms forced the first rain delay at 1 p.m.. Two hours later the program resumed only to be halted again around 5 p.m. A tent was later set up on the stage to give cover from the rain for the remaining contests on the Friday program. The rain finally stopped as darkness set in.

The following are the Friday winners:

*Old Time Appalachian Folk Singing (Solo):
First Place-Andrey Smith of Pikeville
Second Place- Addie Cooksey of Cedar Hill
Third Place-Graham Nash of Cookeville

*Junior Clogging (Ages 13-39):
First Place- Matthew Randolph of Cookeville
Second Place-Gary Giles of Franklin
Third Place-Sierra Tomlin of Springfield

*Junior Buck Dancing (Ages 13-39):
First Place- Jason Wade of Paris, Tennessee
Second Place- Gracie Parrish of Pleasant Shade
Third Place-Jamie Hash of Walland

*Old Time Appalachian Folksinging (Duet, Trio, Quartet)
First Place- Cornelia Overton and Sarah Cripps of Smithville
Second Place-Giri and Uma Peters of Nashville
Third Place-Mark Thomas and Samantha Lewis of Nashville

*Dobro Guitar:
First Place-Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro
Second Place-Chad Davis of Sparta
Third Place-Jason Sanders of Hickman

*Mountain Dulcimer:
First Place-Keith Oler of Murphy, North Carolina
Second Place-Lynsey Smith of Dunlap
Third Place-Daniel Amick of Centerville

*Hammer Dulcimer: NO ENTRY

*Novelty Event:
First Place- Hillary Klug of Shelbyville
Second Place-Two Daves and Too Short of Alexandria
Third Place-John Cross of Gamalin, Kentucky

*Autoharp:
First Place- Bill Rothe of Estill Springs
Second Place-Deanna Mathis of Watertown
Third Place-Bettye Kash of Cookeville

*Gospel Singing (Solo):
First Place-Annabella Dakas of Smithville
Second Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro
Third Place-Josh Issac of Smithville

*Country Harmonica:
First Place- Rob Pearcy of Smyrna
Second Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville
Third Place-Jesse Dayton of Leitchfield, Kentucky

*Old Time Banjo:
First Place-Daniel Amick of Centerville
Second Place-Conner Steven of Johnson City
Third Place- Ivy Phillips of Chapmansboro

*Youth Square Dancing:
First Place- A Step Up of Waverly
Second Place-Jackson Hollow of Franklin
Third Place- Steppin’ Time of Waverly

*Gospel Singing (Duet, Trio, & Quartet):
First Place-Harvey Brown Smith of Beechgrove
Second Place-Cornelia Overton and Sarah Cripps of Smithville
Third Place-Ivy Phillips and Jesse Payton of Chapmansboro

*Mandolin:
First Place-Giri Peters of Nashville
Second Place-Maddie Denton of Murfreesboro
Third Place- Daniel Amick of Centerville

*Old Time Fiddle Band:
First Place-The Slim Chance Band of Smyrna
Second Place-Fiddle Feet and Friends of Shelbyville
Third Place- Giri and Uma Peters of Nashville

After 16 years DeKalb County will have a new Circuit Court Clerk September 1.

Katherine Pack will be completing her fourth term August 31. She was first elected in 2002 but chose not to seek re-election this year. Her successor will be either Susan Martin or Nicole Wright. Voters will decide the race between Martin and Wright on Thursday, August 2. Early voting begins next Friday, July 13 and runs through Saturday, July 28.

Both Martin, a Republican, and Wright, a Democrat, are touting their qualifications for the job.

“My parents are Vic and Debbie McMillen of Alexandria,” said Martin. “ My husband of 23 years is Shane Martin. He is a School Resource Officer at Smithville Elementary School and has been employed with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department for 13 years. We have three children, Hope, Brooke, and Lance”.

“I am a member at West Main Baptist Church in Alexandria where I teach a Sunday School Class and also serve as Youth Leader and Youth Choir Director,” she said.

“For 14 years I have been a licensed Court Reporter and have owned my own business for seven years”.

“During my years working in the judicial system, I have developed a close working relationship with the judges, attorneys, as well as the public and my commitment to you is to always be courteous and professional in my dealings with you. I will serve you with honesty and integrity and make use of my experience and training in the legal field to give you the best service possible,” added Martin.

“I grew up in the Keltonburg community and have been a life-long resident of DeKalb County,” said Wright. “My husband Jeff Wright and I reside in Smithville with our two daughters Jenna, 12, and Lydia, 5. Jeff has been an active member of the Smithville Fire-Rescue Department for over 30 years, and is currently employed by the Murfreesboro Fire- Rescue Department where he serves as the Training Coordinator.”

“I graduated from DeKalb County High School. I began serving the citizens of DeKalb County in 1995 at DeKalb County Ambulance Service as an Emergency Medical Technician. I later worked at the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department as a 911 dispatcher, the City of Smithville Police Department as a police and fire dispatcher, and as a DeKalb E-911 dispatcher. I worked for Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack from 2006 to 2011 as a Deputy Clerk. I worked as the office administrator for Jeremy D. Trapp, Attorney from 2011 to August, 2017 where I gained valuable knowledge and experience working in the law. I returned to work for Katherine Pack in the Circuit Court Clerk’s office as a Deputy Clerk in September, 2017,” Wright continued.

“Public service has been at the center of my employment most of my adult life. I have always enjoyed working with and for the citizens of DeKalb County. I am seeking this position because I want to continue the integrity and efficiency this office has worked so hard for during Mrs. Katherine’s reign as clerk. The years of experience that I have under her leadership will allow me to keep this office moving forward providing the best services available for the people of DeKalb County,” said Wright.

Pack said she has been honored and privileged to have served the people of DeKalb County

“I would like to thank all the citizens of DeKalb County for allowing me the opportunity to serve as DeKalb County’s Circuit Court Clerk the past 16 years,” said Ms. Pack.

“I have so enjoyed working with the judges in Circuit, Criminal and Civil, General Sessions Criminal and Civil, and Juvenile Courts, all the attorneys from our local bar and surrounding counties, the District Attorney General’s Office, District Public Defender’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department, City of Smithville and Alexandria Police Departments, and my special friends elected officials of DeKalb County, you all have a special place in my heart,” she continued.

“My prayer for our county and these special people is: with unity, love, and thankfulness, we all seek God’s guidance and leadership daily in all we do,” Ms. Pack concluded.