Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, August 11, 1995                   TAG: 9508110022
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

GALAX SHOW IS 60 AND FIT AS A FIDDLE

No, not Tom Jones the singer. This was Tom Jones the governor of Galax Moose Lodge No. 7, sponsor of the fiddlers convention all these 60 years.

Jones suggested that the Moose hold a drawing at this year's fiddlers convention to give away a hand-made fiddle. The Moose board went along with the idea.

So, last October, Jones commissioned well-known instrument maker and musician Wayne Henderson of Rugby to craft the fiddle. This weekend, it will be raffled off.

The fiddle is made of curly maple and fir. Inlayed into the wood are the words: 60th Old Fiddlers Convention. Jones said the fiddle is worth as much as $1,000.

The fiddle will be given away Saturday around 9 p.m. during the fiddlers convention in Galax's Felts Park. To enter the give-away, Jones said, people have to buy a convention program, tear off the entry stub and drop it in the box at the Moose Lodge booth.

Four thousand programs were printed for this year's convention.

``Better odds than the lottery,'' Jones said.

The price of the program is $5. In years past, the programs cost $1. Jones said the price was increased to defer the cost of hiring Henderson to make the instrument, and as a fundraising source.

The annual fiddlers convention is the Galax Moose Lodge's yearly fundraising effort, and Jones said it generates enough revenue to make his lodge the envy of Moose and civic groups everywhere. But he declined to say just how much money the convention brings in.

He said it's enough to keep the lodge in business, to cover the security expenses and clean-up for the four-day event, and to give money back to the community. He said the Moose recently donated $1,000 to the Hillsville Fire Deparment, and spent $1,200 to upgrade the lighting in the public restrooms at Felts Park.

Jones acknowledged that the Galax Moose are lucky to have the fiddlers convention. ``The only reason we can have one is it's part of history,'' he said.

This year, a record 2,255 bands and individuals are signed up to compete at the convention in the usual categories. These include bluegrass bands, old time bands, individual categories in fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and so on. There also are competitions in folk singing and flatfoot dancing. At stake are bragging rights and some $15,600 in cash prizes, trophies and ribbons.

Jones said the number of entries was up in every category except one, flatfoot dancing, which was down by one entry. ``I should have registered for that myself, so it would have been the same,'' he said.

The competition began on the main stage in Felts Park Wednesday night. It continues tonight, beginning at 6 and resumes again Saturday at noon. Jones said he estimates the convention will draw nearly 35,000 people over the four-day period.

On Saturday, cable television's Learning Channel plans to send a crew to Galax to tape a segment about the fiddlers convention for future broadcast. And WDBJ-Channel 7 plans to air an hour-long show at 7 p.m. Saturday titled, ``60 Years of Mountain Music: The Galax Fiddlers Convention.''

Admission to the fiddlers convention is $7.

Old Fiddlers Convention: Felts Park in Galax. Competition resumes tonight at 6 and Saturday at noon. Admission is $7.