PLEASANT HILL – Emerald Valley Christian Academy is the place to be for good tunes next week, as it will host nearly 200 musicians for the West Cascades Fiddle Camp and Workshops, which begin Monday, July 20.
The workshops are full, but the public is invited to come out and hear an instructor’s concert on Monday, July 20, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Then on Wednesday, also from 7 to 8:30 p.m., there will be a dance to live music that will include two-steps, waltzes and square dances for students of all ages.
“Our instructors are all exceptional,” said Jerry Parks, chairman of District 6 in the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers’ Association (OOTFA). “We have one instructor from Washington, and another one from Corvallis, and they’re all exceptional.”
The camp has run continuously for 14 years except for a two-year COVID break. The first one was held in 2012 in West Fir – and it has thrived and persevered, all the while keeping West Cascade’s mission in mind: to preserve and perpetuate Old Time Fiddling and tunes that survived immigration, wars, and the Western migration, passing the love for the music along to future generations.
The camp isn’t all about fiddles. It also features workshops for mandolin, bass, and banjo players.
The Old Time Fiddlers Association is a nonprofit organization with representation from across the nation. Oregon Old Time Fiddlers Association is over 50 years old and currently has 700 members enrolled. See more information at ootfa.org. Information about West Cascades Fiddle Camp and Workshops is located at fiddlecamp.net.
