Oh Fiddlesticks!

One of my very favorite activities--the Maine Fiddlers Concert--takes place tomorrow, and I won't be able to make it for the first time in several years. Oh fiddlesticks!

This concert (now in its 10th year) takes place at The Chocolate Church Arts Center in Bath, Maine and is, in part, a fundraiser for Maine Fiddle Camp.

The event features some of the best fiddlers and traditional musicians in the state of Maine. It is not only great music, but also great fun. Honestly, you life isn't complete until you participate in a contradance while seated. :)

At the end of the concert, anyone and everyone with a fiddle in the audience is invited onto the stage for a little fiddle jam.As you watch the fiddlers pile on stage, you wonder just where all those fiddles were hiding during the concert.

Rumor has it that Maine has more fiddlers per capita than any other state (I heard this but have never been able to substantiate...but decided a few years ago it had to be true.) -- it is just another reason I'm in love with the state. I mean, what's not to love about a state full of fiddlers (especially if you love fiddle music - which I do!)?


A couple of years ago I purchased my first fiddle -- at the store in Newcastle, Maine that sells fiddles and oriental rugs (I'm serious). I finally got up the nerve to start learning it about a year ago. I'll be honest, it is a slow and painful process (I tried not to get discouraged when my fiddle teacher said, "Are you sure that you want to learn the fiddle--it is a very hard instrument."). But, now my six year old has a fiddle too. She's learning it as a violin -- but, I know in my heart she's a fiddler. Someday we'll be climbing up on stage (and attending Maine Fiddle Camp) with the rest for the jam. In the meantime, we'll just keep trying to make it to as many concerts as we can.

And, if you have time tomorrow evening, hit The Chocolate Church Arts Center for the 10th Annual Maine Fiddlers Concert. You'll be glad you did.