If you play fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, or any other kind of instrument that wouldn’t sound out of place within an old-time country music band, you’re not only welcome but needed at monthly jam sessions in Oroville, the birthplace of the California State Old Time Fiddlers Association.
Besides having a lot of fun, the Fiddlers promote and perpetuate old time fiddle music by performing at community events and providing scholarships for fiddle lessons to those interested in this slice of American culture. Its monthly jams, a tradition for more than 50 years, heat up Oroville’s Municipal Auditorium, 1200 Myers St., every fourth Sunday from 2-5 pm. New players and listeners are heartily welcomed with open arms and violin cases.
It was in 1960 that a group of country musicians organized these regularly scheduled jam sessions, an activity that grew into the California State Old Time Fiddlers Association. That association now extends from Redding to San Diego, and Oroville is the site of the annual California State Open Fiddle and Picking Championship Contest every March. Winners go on to compete nationally. Oroville sent four California state champions to the national contest in June last year.
For more information, contact Larry Jendrow at 530-533-1413 or ljendro@msm.com.
