From left to right, the group includes: Community member Susan Blankenship, Ferrum College student Gage Shelton, Community member Jody Brown, Ferrum College faculty member Rachel Blankenship.-Tucker, Ferrum College faculty member Emily Blankenship-Tucker, Ferrum College student TJ Baker, Ferrum College faculty member Rebecca Crocker and Community member Silas Blankenship-Tucker.
08/10/23
On August 10, The Jack Tale Players performed at the Rex Theatre in Galax, VA for the 87th Old Fiddler’s Convention.
The Old Fiddler’s Conventionoriginated in the spring of 1935 when a few members of the then new Moose Lodge #733 needed to raise funds and promote publicity. In a newspaper, it was stated that the Convention was dedicated to “keeping alive the memories and sentiments of days gone by and make it possible for people of today to hear and enjoy the tunes of yesterday”.
The Jack Tales performance was during the “Stories and Strings” festival which was new to the convention this year. All of the College’s theatre faculty participated in the performance along with two theatre students.
“This is an event that I always enjoy. It’s a great way to meet new folks who are playing this type of music. People from all around the region and the world come to this convention as it is the largest fiddler’s convention in the world,” said director of Appalachian music Emily Blankenship-Tucker.
The Jack Tale Players are a collaboration between the Ferrum College theatre department and Professor Emeritus Rex Stephenson. He founded the Jack Tale Players in 1975 to highlight traditional music and stories of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
This year marks a revitalization of the performances with Ferrum College students and this performance with student participation was much celebrated by everyone involved.
