Fiddler's Frolic State Championship in Hallettsville, Texas

Back in a simpler day, when there were no computers, cell phones, or even televisions, Texas folks had to be creative when it came to entertainment. At the end of a hard day's work, no one climbed into an expensive little sports car and sped to the local mall for dinner and a movie. Horses and buggies still dominated transportation and a popular form of entertainment was barn dances or house dances with homemade food and self taught musicians who walked behind plows by day and plucked fiddles, guitars, and banjos by night.

Fiddle music varied from area to area and old time Texas music had its own lively style created from a cultural blend of English ballads, Mexican songs, African American blues, and Czech and German polkas. Some tunes were adapted to fit the style and others were just plain made up to suit the mood or occasion. At any rate, the foot stompin', robust music rang out across the Texas frontier landscape and weary workers recharged their spirits by dancing into the wee hours of the morning.

In 1922, when musical recording and radio was still new, Alexander "Eck" Robertson, a young fiddler from Amarillo, recorded a tune called Sally Goodin in New York. Although fiddle music had its local fans, it never got much attention in the wider music market. The Texas fiddling legacy has mainly been passed from generation to generation and preserved through contests and festivals.

The fourth weekend of every April, Hallettsville Texas hosts the Texas State Championship Fiddler's Frolic at the Knights of Columbus Hall, in conjunction with the Texas State Championship Barbeque Cook-off.

Every year fans flock to the small south Texas town to hear four days worth of the nation's best fiddle players perform "breakdowns", "hornpipes", "reels", and "waltzes." Popular tunes heard over and over include Turkey in the Straw, Soppin' Up the Gravy, San Antonio Rose, Black Mountain Rag, Bucking Mule, and Billie in the Low Ground.

Part of the festivities include a night when "Anything Goes" and amateurs, as well as seasoned fiddlers, are welcomed to show off bow tricks, duels, or whatever they feel like doing. Fiddling competition, songwriter's contest, dances featuring top entertainment bands, carnival, merchandise booths, and good food like barbeque, gumbo, red beans and rice round out the annual celebration. Fans make reservations up to a year in advance to spend the entire four days at area motels, bed and breakfasts or camp on-site at the Knights of Columbus Hall.

Texans play every bit as hard as they work and today's Texas country folks are doing a great job of preserving the legacy of those early Texas musicians. They welcome everyone to take part in the down home hospitality, farm table foods, and old fashioned music at the Texas State Championship Fiddler's Frolic.