50 years ago . . .

THREE TIME CHAMPION. Shane Cook of Dorchester, returned to the winner's podium for the third time to claim the Open Championship class at the 55th Canadian Open Fiddle Contest last year. Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson was on hand to present the winners trophy, a framed fiddler print by local artist Laurie McGaw to Mr. Cook. New Brunswick fiddler judged '56 Canadian champ

From The Free Press and Economist of August 8, 1956:

The Maritimes, famed for their fiddlers, have captured the "hoedown crown" of North America. Ned Landry, 33-year-old musician from Saint John, New Brunswick, won the title in the sixth annual Canadian Open championship contest in Shelburne last Friday and Saturday nights, against 84 other fiddlers from Canada and the United States.

At the Saturday night finals he was awarded the Shelburne Cup for the international title and The Globe and Mail Trophy for the Canadian title.

Popular Sleepy Marlin, of Louisville, Kentucky, again captured the international novelty playing championship and Donald Weatherby of Scotland, Ontario, won the Canadian novelty title.

At right, Open Championship competitor and 1998 champion April Verch puts on a show. Attendance records were smashed. The largest crowd to attend the playdowns was present Friday night. For the Saturday Night Finals, every reserved seat ticket was sold and the gate staff was reduced to selling standing-room-only admissions, using roll issued sets, leaving the two-night attendance at around 7,000 people.

Runners-up in the championship class were Nick Woronuik of St. Catharines and Sleepy Marlin, who left with his dance band for a monthlong engagement in Iowa on Sunday. After the Saturday night Finals he played to a dance in the jam-packed Cedar room of the arena.

Semi-finalists in the championship class who also survived the playdowns were Al Cherny of Wingham, Rocky Nash of London, Dr. P. J. Leahy of Teeswater, Lee Hough of Stevensville and Victor Pasowisty of Toronto and Winnipeg, the defending champion.

Runners-up in the novelty class were Lee Hough of Stevensville nd Elmer Briand of Toronto and Halifax.

The oldest fiddle fan at the contest was Mrs. James Irwin, 86, of Tottenham, who was serenaded on the stage Friday night by the oldest fiddling competitor, Charles Dyer, also 86, of Fergus.

Joan Fairfax, singing star of the Denny Vaughan television show was the CBC's guest artist on the national network radio broadcast of the finals.

Contest judges were Harold Sumberg, chairman; Harold Horton, music director, Community Programs Branch, Ontario Department of Education, and Bill Richards of the Holiday Ranch TV program. All are from Toronto.

Reid Forsee, CBC producer, directed the saturday night program and introduced the finals broadcast to the North America radio audience. "Neighbourly News" Don Fairbairn was back on his regular job as master of ceremonies and Edgar Goodaire was guest pianist.

The Friday night playdowns got under way at 7:30 with W. H. Harvey of Camp Borden as the first artist. Contest manager Fred White officially opened the evening with words of greeting and appreciation after Vince Mountford and Sleepy Marlin's band had regaled the audience with preprogram presentations of songs and humour.

Rotary Club President Ray Hardick opened the CBC broadcast with these well-delivered words: "Greetings from Shelburne, Ontario, home of the sixth annual Old Time Fiddlers' Contest, to all fiddle fans across Canada and the United States, on behalf of the Shelburne Rotary Club and the crippled children of Ontario. We sincerely hope you enjoy our show, along with all the folks here."

Immediately following the broadcast, Mr. Hardick presented May Wallace, case supervisor for the Ontario Society for Crippled Children, with a cheque for $170.00, representing a $2.00 share of entry fees from the contestants.

A CBC television crew was on hand for both nights to film an edited version of the contest for presentation on the CBC News Magazine program this coming Sunday night at 7:30.

-25 years ago . . .

Sudbury's Don Reed, 21 was 1981 Fiddle Champ

From The Free Press and Economist of August 12, 1981:

Don Reed, 21, of Sudbury, took top honours at the Canadian Open Old Time Fiddlers' Contest Saturday night to reclaim the championship for the second year in a row.

And for the second year in a row, Robert Valee of Nitro, Quebec, placed second.

The Shelburne contest list, which showed competitors had entered from all across the county for the 31st annual contest, was nothing new to Mr. Reed. In fact, over the past 16 years of competition at Shelburne, Don has become a familiar face.

The Reed family has dominated a number of the competitions, with

Don's two sisters and two brothers also having entered the contest.

Last year, when he won the open title he became only the second fiddler to do so while only 20 years of age. Graham Townsend was the first competitor to achieve that recognition.

Don won $1,500 along with the championship award Saturday night and he said it made him feel "really good."

Although he has entered competitions in Manitoba, Alberta and elsewhere in Ontario, he has stuck with Shelburne's Canadian Open and in the past two competitions it has paid off. In 1979 he came in second behind Eleanor Townsend.

Excited about his win, Don said he was happy with his performance "but you never know what is going to happen. I'm just happy that I won. He has been playing fiddle since he was five, and he says that although his father doesn't play the fiddle it was his influence that got the rest of the family involved.

Don started formal lessons when he was seven and continued them until last year.

When he was just 10 Don won the contest's 18 and Under and Novelty classes.

His siblings Karen, 19, and Robert, 17, also made it into the saturday night Finals, and Kathy, 13, and Derrick, 10, also competed. Karen placed second in both the Novelty and Ladies classes and Robert was winner of the 18 and Under class.

Guest artists at the contest included Mel Lavigne of Wingham, who won the first contest in 1951; Ed Gyurki, seven-time contest winner; Graham Townsend, five-time winner; Rudy Meeks, fourtime champion, and 1979 champion Eleanor Townsend. All of the guest artists performed solos and gave a combined effort, a jamboree that produced a standing ovation. Contest manager Ken Gamble said 4,500 people were in attendance at the Saturday night finals, following which the Reed family played for the fiddle dance.

A television crew was in town last Wednesday to tape TV segments on Fiddleville, one of which was shown Thursday. Betty Thompson and John Arajs from CKCO in Kitchener filmed an interview with Rev. Bruce Besley in front of the town hall and at Fiddle Park.

During the interview, Rev. Bruce gave a short history of Shelburne, explaining that the town has no industry and its biggest claim to fame in the fiddle contest.

During the interview at Fiddle Park, Betty asked for details on the fiddle contest and the events surrounding it.

The 31st contest was the 21st at which Dorothy Houston of Earlton was at the keyboard accompanying many of the contestants. "I don't know these tunes, I just follow them," she told reporter Ian Harris.

If she's lucky, the fiddlers teller her what key they'll be playing in. Failing that, "I just listen for the first note and away we go."

Admitting she doesn't yet know how to read music, she said she has picked up her repertoire by ear and now knows "all the old standards," from the '20s through to the '50s.

Most of the festivities during the contest weekend reported good attendance, with many trailers and motor homes crowding Fiddle Park and 700 showing up for the pork barbecue, where organizers had expected about 500.

As for the big Fiddle Parade, the award for best float went to Dufferin Oaks and that for Most Unique Entry to Shelburne Flowers.

One of the biggest successes was the Fiddleville Sunday Church Service, which attracted a crowd of about 2,300.

The brainchild of Rev. Bruce Besley, the service has been held annually since he returned to his native town as minister of Trinity United Church. The idea got off to a relatively

slow start, with not many more than the 50 or so who had routinely turned up at Trinity United "the morning after the night before" showing up.

But it has grown in popularity with each passing year and Sunday saw most of the seating in the new arena filled for the occasion.