Before crowds that smashed all records for attendance, the 1957 Canadian Open Championship Old Time Fiddlers' Contest, in Shelburne Arena, last Friday and Saturday nights, saw last year's "fiddle kings," Ned Landry, 35, of Saint John, New Brunswick, the Open champion, and Wayne "Sleepy" Marlin, 41, of Louisville, Kentucky, the Novelty Playing champion, again the top award winners.

Placing in the Championship class was as follows: 1st, Ned Landry, $300.00, the Shelburne Cup for the Open Championship, and The Globe and Mail Trophy for the Canadian championship, plus replicas in each case; 2nd, Al Cherny, 24, of Wingham, Ont., $150.00; 3rd, Earl Mitton, 31, of Fredericton, N.B., $75.00. Runners-up: Cye Crawford, 28, Powasson, Ont.; "Sleepy" Marlin; John Henry Mooring, 30, Springhill, N.S.,;Victor Pasowisty, 27, Toronto and Winnipeg. and Nick Woroniuk, 36, of St. Catharines, Ont.

Placing in the Novelty class was as follows: 1st, "Sleepy" Marlin, $100 and Shelburne Rotary Club Trophy; 2nd, Al Cherny, Wingham, Ont., $50.00, and 3rd, Earl Mitton of Fredericton, N.B.

Attendance records were outscored last year, but this year totals were again exceeded. On Friday night, the Playdowns attendance included 2,512 paid admissions. With staff, contestants, radio, press, television, accompanists and guests the estimated total was 3,000.

Complete figures for Saturday night are not yet in, but all seats were sold, plus several hundred standing room. Close to 500 attended the dance in the Cedar Room. Over 10,000 bottles of soft drinks were sold at the refreshment stand. Among the hardest workers each night, according to the figures, must have been the gate and canteen staffs, but equally busy must have been the staff who saw to the parking of acres and acres of cars in the Agricultural grounds.

The official entry list shows a total of 75 entries in the two classes. The only lady entrant was Mrs. Ada Moore of Rosemont, who received extra applause for her talent and courageous representation of the fair sex.

The youngest player was 10-year-old Brian Mulhall, of Toronto, and the oldest 89-year-old Thomas Sanders, of Guelph.

Friday night, "Invincible" Vince Mountford, of Brampton, attired in the loudest outfit ever to be seen in these parts, as usual was Master of Ceremonies, and as usual kept the crowd in good humour and was a steadying influence on the players.

The evening began with welcoming words from the contest manager, Fred White, and then Vince rolled out the chant for "Fiddleville" before the first contestant, Ronald Bayne of Ariss, Ont., played his waltz, jig and hoedown. Fred Blanchard of Niagara Falls and Bob Arbuckle of King City formed the unit of three to play first.

There was a period of silence for those who have passed on since last year's contest, including Rotary past president Bill Paget and veteran fiddler Charles Dyer of Fergus.

Just when it looked as if hiker Howard Hardaway of Louisville, Kentucky, wasn't going to make it to the contest on his 69-mile birthday hike from Toronto's lakeshore, he landed on the stage in tow of Shelburne Police Chief Ed Erhardt, who explained he had picked him up on the street as a vagrant, but was giving him the benefit of the doubt on his hiking story.

Saturday, all day, was a big time in town, with fiddlers all over the place.Fred Blanchfield, from his tent out on the Matthews field in the eastern suburbs, was the headquarters for the Fiddlers' Parade, led by Police Chief Erhardt in the cruiser. In top hat and tails, Fred sparked a square dance in the middle of the business section. This was really "Fiddleville Day."

Perhaps the only drawback to the Saturday night finals was that several hundred people had to be turned away.

CBC producer Reid Forsee put the Finals on the coast-to-coast radio network sharp at 9:30, the program starting with a welcome from Rotary president Bob Stewart.

FLASHBACK 25 Don Reed became 3-time champ in the 1982 contest

From the Free Press and Economist of August 11, 1982:

Don Reed of Sudbury successfully defended his Canadian Open Old Time Fiddlers' Championship for a second time Saturday night, becoming only the third champ to win the contest for three straight years.

That feat was accomplished between 1964 and 1966 by Johnny Mooring of Springhill, N.S. and in 1968 through 1970 by Graham Townsend of Toronto.

Mr. Reed was presented with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Trophy and a cheque for $1,500 by CBC announcer Harry Brown.

Raymond Schryer of Toronto placed second - picking up the Maple Leaf Trophy presented by Canada Packers and a cheque for $700 - and was also awarded the Johnny Mooring Memorial Trophy and $50. This prize is awarded annually to the contestant under 21 years of age receiving the highest number of points.

Third spot went to Denis Lanctot of Papineauville, Quebec. His prize included $125 and the Fleming Memorial Trophy.

Mr. Townsend and his wife Eleanor, the only woman open champion in the contest's 32 years, were special guests on CBC Radio's Saturday night live broadcast from the Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex.

The guest artist for the show was television and radio personality Sylvia Tyson and her band, The Great Speckled Bird.

Other finalists in the championship class were Peter Dawson of Pembroke; Alisdair Fraser, who came all the way from Scotland; Chuck Joyce of London; Elmer Kochie of Windsor; Frank Leahy of Willowdale; Robert Vallee of Nitro, Quebec, and the only woman to reach the finals, Michelle Lubiniecki of Scarborough.

John Crozman of London also became a threetime winner when he captured the novelty championship with his acrobatics. After accepting the Royal Bank Trophy and a $200 cheque, he addressed the audience and expressed his wish that the creativity of his class continue.

Wayne Ferguson of Sarnia came in second and Dr. Ken Jacobson of Thunder Bay placed third in the Novelty division.

Winner of the 19-45 year age category and the Fred Claridge Memorial Trophy was Bill Irving of Mitchell, while Eddie Mole of Owen Sound won the 45-65-year class.

In the 18 and under class, Sault Ste. Marie brothers Louis and Pierre Schryer placed second and third, respectively, behind Dean Lapierre of Pembroke, who won the Glen Drury Trophy and Elmer Campbell Award.

Vince Mountford hosted his 31st consecutive contest with his usual brand of humour and favoured the Saturday night capacity crowd with his own fiddling prowess.

On Friday night, the McDowell Trophy to the top competitor in the 65 and over class went to Tom McQueston of King City, while Alice Urecko of Toronto won the second place award and Dugald Jamieson of Renfrew placed third.

The oldest competitor, at 99, was George Davis of Erin, who walked off with the Albert Mews Memorial Trophy.

In the 12-and-under category, David Jones won first place and the Townsend Trophy. Patricia Kusturuk of Lorette, Manitoba, placed second and Francois Grimard of Ancaster was third.

The annual Fiddle Parade Saturday afternoon, sponsored by Shelburne Kinsmen, featured antique automobiles as well as horses and riders and wagon teams. Rev. Bruce Besley, leader of Sunday's Fiddleville Church Service, was among the float prize winners.

The Fiddleville weekend was marred by a fivedeath crash on Highway 10 about 10 kilometres north of town. According to the Shelburne OPP detachment, the accident Saturday occurred on the straight stretch of highway when a northbound car driven by Edgar Boone, 83, of Kemble was struck head-on by a southbound car travelling in the northbound lane. Both he and the other driver, Alan Edwards of Dundalk, were killed, along with three passengers in the Edwards car, Katherine Crawford, 14, of Dundalk; Leslie Mills, 28, of Shelburne, and Wayne Deer, 32, of Meaford. Margaret Crawford, 17, of Dundalk, and Robert Marshall, 25, of RR 4 Creemore, were taken to Shelburne District Hospital and then airlifted to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, where Mr. Marshall was listed in critical condition.

OPP Constable Phillip Schrive said there was "no apparent cause" for the crash.