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The Arkansas State Old Time Fiddle and Banjo Championships return to Ozark Folk Center State Park on Saturday, Aug. 8, with a full day of competition and an evening concert.
Admission to the park’s Ozark Highlands Theater is free from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and again from 1 to 5:30 p.m. The indoor venue seats 1,000.
Banjo players compete in the morning and fiddlers compete in the afternoon. Players of all ages from across the region are expected.
Musicians who want to compete must register in person in the theater lobby. There is no online or advance registration. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the entry fee is $10 cash.
Contestants get free admission to the evening show. That show, the park’s annual Fiddle and Banjo Music Show, runs from 7 to 9 p.m.
The Ozark Folk Center Square Dancers open the concert at 7 p.m. with an old-time square dance. Fiddler John Showman and banjo player Chris Coole headline.
Tickets to the evening show are $15 for adults and $8 for children 6 to 12. A $35 family pass covers two adults and children under 18. Day-of tickets cost $2 more, and season passes are honored.
Tickets are available at Tickets.OzarkFolkCenter.com.
The park’s Craft Village will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artisans will demonstrate their work and sell handmade goods, with shops covering blacksmithing, pottery, quilting, leather, stained glass, wood carving, brooms, herbs and more. The village will also host live music and old-time magic and medicine shows.
The Skillet Restaurant, on the park grounds, will serve from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The event is sponsored by Old Time Ozark Traditions and the Committee of One Hundred, a nonprofit that has worked since 2012 to preserve Ozark music, dance and craft.
Showman and Coole have played together for about 20 years in bands including The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Lonesome Ace Stringband. Their sound sits between old-time, bluegrass and folk, mixing original material with songs by John Hartford, Hank Williams and Dock Boggs and fiddle tunes by Eck Robertson and Ed Haley.
The duo has performed across North America and Europe, including at Merlefest, Rockygrass and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. In 2022 they released two albums, a collection of old-time fiddle tunes called “Afield” and a John Hartford tribute record.
The Cabins at Dry Creek, on the park grounds, offer lodging near the restaurant and Craft Village. A shuttle runs for cabin guests attending theater events.
