CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia’s champion old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo and mandolin players competed for top honors on Saturday, May 25, during the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History’s 47th annual Vandalia Gathering. On Sunday, May 26, old-time banjo, lap dulcimer, flat-pick guitar musicians and liars vied for awards.
The winners were:
Youth Old-Time Fiddle (age 15 and under)
1st place – Liam Farley, Chapmanville
2nd place – Nate Atkinson, Hurricane
3rd place – Jo Butterworth, Hurricane
Old-Time Fiddle (age 59 and under)
1st place – Tessa McCoy, Greenville
2nd place – Jake Krack, Marlinton
3rd place – Jesse Milnes, Elkins
4th place – Chance McCoy, Greenville
5th place – Emily Miller, Elkins
Senior Old-Time Fiddle (age 60 and over)
1st place – Jenny Allinder, Point Pleasant
2nd place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
3rd place – Gerry Milnes, Elkins
4th place – Bob Smakula, Montrose
5th place – John Longwell, Gandeeville
Mandolin (all ages)
1st place – Sawyer Chapman, Charleston
2nd place – Tristan Dennis, Morgantown
3rd place – Ezekiel Green, Beckley
4th place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
5th place – Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
Bluegrass Banjo (all ages)
1st place – Brandon Green, Beckley
2nd place – Logan Hoy, Belle
3rd place – Brian “Buck” Minor, Bridgeport
4th place – Carter Eddy, Parkersburg
5th place – Emmett Carper, West Union
Lap Dulcimer (all ages)
1st place – Helena Lee, Cross Lanes
2nd place – Janie Miles, Pliny
3rd place – Jim Probst, Hamlin
4th place – Melissa Dennison, Frametown
Old-Time Banjo (59 and under)
1st place – Trevor Hammons, Marlinton
2nd place – Chance McCoy, Greenville
3rd place – Ryan Brandenburg, Oak Hill
4th place – Pete Kosky, Charleston
5th place – Tessa McCoy, Greenville
Senior Old-Time Banjo (age 60 and over)
1st place – Gerry Milnes, Elkins
2nd place – Jim Mullins, St. Albans
3rd place – Jay Lockman, Green Bank
4th place – Paul Gartner, Yawkey
5th place – John Morris, Ivydale
Flat-pick Guitar (all ages)
1st place – Robin Kessinger, St. Albans
2nd place – Jakob Thomas, South Charleston
3rd place – Dan Kessinger, St. Marys
4th place – DJ Kessinger, Charles Town
5th place – Lucas Nichols, Charleston
Liars (all ages)
Biggest Liar (1st place and Goldenseal magazine’s Golden Shovel award) – April Ritter, Charleston
Bigger Liar (2nd place) – Susan McCauley, Ashford
Big Liar (3rd place) – John Mullins, Dunbar
The annual Vandalia Gathering is a free celebration of the traditional arts, music, dance, stories, crafts and foods of West Virginia. The Culture Center and State Capitol Complex grounds host this expanding family-style gathering each year on Memorial Day weekend. The unique blending of ethnic and cultural heritage combines an atmosphere as comfortable as a family reunion with the excitement of a state fair. The statewide folk festival, named for the proposed 14th colony, pays tribute to the state’s ethnic heritage through a variety of exhibitions and programs.
Vandalia Gathering is a program of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. For more information, contact Andrea Nelson, public information specialist for the department, at (304) 558-0220 or Andrea.E.Nelson@wv.gov.