# General Mandolin Topics > Jams, Workshops, Camps, Places To Meet Others >  Galax fiddler's convention

## narrogate

Great time this past week in Galax,VA at the 73rd annual fiddler's convention. My highlight was to be able to jam with lengendary fiddler Buddy Pendelton who at 73 yrs. young can exhaust almost anyone after a few tunes. He stayed busy (when not jamming) signing autographs and visiting with old friends. He played with the Greenbriar Boys on one of their albums and also was a member of Monroe's Bluegrass Boy's. Great time to be had by all that was there, looking forward to next year already!

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## sunburst

I was in a jam with Buddy Pendleton too, but I didn't know who he was until I saw his picture on a CD cover. I just remember thinking "hey, this "old guy" can fiddle...".

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## Five

Great time. Fiddler Bobby Hicks was also around playing some amazing fiddle. Saw John's mandolin. That is Sunburst here on the cafe. Very nice work.

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## Bobbie Dier

I was there Thursday-Sunday. I have sore fingers to prove it. I wish I could have stayed all week. I got to jam with Keith Williams but I was WAY out o my league. They were nice to let me play a little.  

I dropped my mandolin on a concrete floor and now it needs a repair  . Festivals are killing my mandolin.

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## Flowerpot

Just got back yesterday... not recovered yet by a long shot.

Had the time of my life! This year was just perfect weather, and pickers showed up in droves.

Got to pick twice with Bobby Hicks, standing right next to him and hearing those double and triple stops. Got to sing "Sitting Alone in the Moonlight" and hear him do all the backup, and got to play Roanoke and Lonesome Moonlight Waltz and Snowflake Breakdown (it ain't Snowflake Reel, it's Breakdwon, Bobby said it so there ya go)... it don't get any better than that. 

I played until 5:00 AM several mornings, needed to quit for the sake of my poor battered body but just couldn't. What an awesome week!

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## hanknc

I got my first green ribbon for competing in the Old Time Fiddle category. I heard a lot of music on stage and in the camp sites and there were some famous fiddlers there, too.

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## Five

Flowerpot..Was that you playing the Brentrup?

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## Flowerpot

Yup. 'Twas me.

Too bad Steffey didn't hang around longer... he was camped out until Thurs morning, and played a lot. I didn't get to hear him myself, was too busy pickin elsewhere. He was the consummate nice guy, so I hear... if you fouled up a song, he'd blame himself for goofing you up (yea, sure, Adam, it was your fault). There were a lot of all-star pickers and singers around this year, like Sammy Shelor, Lou Reid (who played a bunch of twin fiddle with Hicks), Ronnie Bowman, and Junior Sisk, all hanging around and playing all night.

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## Five

Flowerpot... You sounded great. Got to listen for just a little while. The only thing that I would have liked to have happened was Bobby to have brought JB Prince along. Together it is some of the best twin fiddling you will hear. Did you catch the young blond headed kid playing fiddle? Another great brewing it seems like. I have to say that catching Hicks was worth the price of admission Friday and Saturday.

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## gonzograss

A little late to comment on Galax, but better than not. I also had the best Galax ever. Spent every day and night in what was left of the swing tent (decimated this year by multiple previous scheduling conflicts), but stalwart Carl Kirby (jam leader extraordinaire) was there & several other fine musicians. As usual they let me pick w/ them (I'm smart enough to not play if I don't know the tune). Very challenging, very much fun. Also enjoyed the Bobby Hicks jams, Steve's great twin fiddling, "Flowerpot's" high quality (Brentrup)mando playing, and several other fine musician's contributions. Bobby is a class-A #1 fiddler and human being.
Also proud that the Deltones (4th place bg band this year, against some awesome competition)wound up being Bobby's main backup musicians. 
Got to pick a bit w/ Spencer Strickland (his completely awesome version of "So Happy Together"), who won 1st place in mando competition w/a spotless "Rawhide".
Too many special treats to mention here, but finished off late Sat. nite w/ a visit w/ John Hamlett, and his superb new F-5. It's very very nice. And he checked out the blond A-model I bought from him last year and thought it sounded "related" to his F (what a blast) and that it had opened up noticeably since last year. (I thought it sounded great last year - that's why I bought it).
From a guy fortunate enough to have experienced Swing Week at Augusta, then Cliff Top, Galax was still pure heaven.

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## kirb

sammy shelor jammed with glen alexander and johnny green and norman allred and decided to play some shows with them.they played at aquaria seafood in high point thursday night doing beatles ngr and r&b thnes.sammy played banjo and guitar.they.re gonna do it again thursday sept 11 at 8:00.no cover charge.

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