Rosin on the bow and here we go!
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail hosted their annual Youth Fiddler’s Convention on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
It was a cool spring day in Abingdon, VA when the galleries of the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center began buzzing with the sounds of fiddles and banjos tuning up as the next generation of pickers prepared their tunes and dance steps.
The competition mirrored a scene that can be found throughout the mountains of Appalachia in the summer months. Fiddler’s conventions have long been part of the old time and bluegrass music tradition, dating back to the early 1920s-1930s. These friendly competitions are more than an opportunity for musicians to show off their chops, but conventions serve as an important institution for preserving the musical traditions and fostering a community.
Siblings join each other stage for a rendition of “Wildwood Flower” in the Folk Song category.
The Crooked Road’s Youth Fiddlers Convention is no different. Youth musicians from across central Appalachia came together to form new friendships at the morning jam session and workshop. Afterwards, new groups were formed for the band competition that afternoon.
Executive Director of The Crooked Road, Tyler Hughes leads competitors in a workshop and jam session before the competition.
New to this year’s competition was the dance category which saw nearly a dozen young flat footers and cloggers hit the floor for a chance to win a blue ribbon. 
The full list of winners is below:
Old Time String Band
1st place-Banjolin Brothers
2nd place-Eddie’s Ramblers
3rd place-The Brothers 4
Bluegrass Band
1st place-Floyd Hooligans
2nd place (tie)-4 Walls
2nd place (tie)-Windy Creek Rising
Clawhammer Banjo
1st place-Liam Lanhma
2nd place-Analiese Hess
3rd place-Samuel Spencer
Bluegrass Banjo
1st place-Aaron Hess
2nd place-Jase Bruton
3rd place-Silas Walls
Old Time Fiddle
1st place-Sterling Hollifield
2nd place-Savannah Hodges
3rd place-Lydia Walls
Bluegrass Fiddle
1st place-Sterling Hollifield
2nd place-Lydia Walls
3rd place-Reid Workman
Guitar
1st place-Kingston Hollifield
2nd place-Mason Blevins
3rd place-Noah Lanham
Mandolin
1st place-Eamon Russell
2nd place-Rochelle Grimm
3rd place-Aaron Hess
Folk Song
1st place-Naomi Childress
2nd place-Alina Hess
3rd place-Sarah Walls
Dance
1st place-Highland Hollifield
2nd place-Rylan Grimm
3rd place-Jubilee Bruton
This event takes place every spring in Abingdon, Virginia and serves as a launching pad for young musicians to take their first steps toward competing at legacy conventions such as the Galax Old Fiddlers Convention.
The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail links together 10 major venues and over 40 affiliated venues, jam sessions, festivals, and square dances that celebrate Southwest Virginia’s old time and bluegrass music legacy. Our organization is dedicated to ensuring that the culture of our region is nourished and preserved, not only for tourism efforts, but for the benefit of our residents, communities, and cultural institutions.
