Athens Prepares for Big Crowd at Fiddlers Contest

Athens Prepares for Big Crowd at Fiddlers Contest

Nineteen Bands From East Texas Towns to Compete for Awards

Special to The News.

Athens, Texas, May 9. - Fourteen East Texas town and cities have entered string bands in the fifth annual East Texas fiddlers contest and reunion, which will be held here May 29 as one of the Texas Centennial celebrations. Towns which have entered bands in the contest are as follows: Jacksonville, Terrell, Crockett, Ennis, Rusk, Kemp, Mabank, Athens, Montalba, Ben Wheeler, Madisonville, Murchsion, Dallas and Arlington.

Kemp has three entries, Dallas two and Montalba two.

The Athens Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the program, which will be entirely free to the public. This year's contest is expected to far exceed that of 1935 when 6,000 persons heard the contest playing. Gov. James V. Allred has consented to make the principal address.

The nineteen bands each headed by a chief fiddler are as follows:

Charlie Cook String Band, Dallas, Charlie Cook.

Texas Bluebonnet Band, Kemp, Harold Hebel.

Fiddling Fool String Band, Terrell, Oscar Harper.

Love's Lookout String Band, Jacksonville, J. R. Thurman.

The Merry Melody Makers, Crockett, V. B. Tunstall.

Brewer Fiddle Band, Terrell, E. L. Brewer.

The Family String Band, Ennis, William E. Lee.

John F. Murdock String Band, Rusk, John F. Murdock.

Henderson County String Band, Kemp, Jeff Meazell.

The Fadaway Five, Mabank, Veachel Williams.

Charlie Miller Band, Athens, C. F. Miller.

Lone Star Kids, Kemp, Homer Bonds.

Blackfoot Rail Splitters, Montalba, Robert Fitzgerald.

Hall and His Rhythm Rascals, Ben Wheeler, Raymond Hall

Liveley String Band, Maidsonville, F. A. Liveley

Hickory Hollow String Band, Montalba, T. A. Fitzgerald.

Leagueville String Band, Murchison, C. H. Hopson

The Fiddlin' Three, Arlington, Red Steely.

L. L. Thomas Fiddle Band, Dallas, L. L. Thomas

Dallas Morning News
Sunday, May 10, 1936
Section I, Page 9