by Lane Rozin
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An afternoon of music, food and fun will soon take place in Lawrence with the 43rd Annual Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships, also known as FidPick.
The free event, set for noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25 at South Park, will feature live performances, a band competition and individual instrument competitions.
Bands that have registered for the competition include Color Green, Jenny Lou & the Buckaroos, The Tonganoxie Split, Bluebelles of the Trail, Breezedale Trio, The Lost Keys, Fiddler’s Dream and Tequa Trio, according to the event’s website.
The winning band will be crowned the Kansas State String Band of the Year for 2024. They’ll receive prize money and an opportunity to perform at the Walnut Valley Bluegrass Festival in September in Winfield, according to a news release from event organizers.
Individual competitions are open to all ages and include instruments such as the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, flat pick guitar, miscellaneous acoustic instruments and finger-style guitar.
“A special Youth Award, designed to encourage young people to pursue traditional music, is presented each year to an outstanding musician under the age of 16,” according to the release.
Other live performances will include Topeka’s fiddle-heavy Mexican group Alegres del Rancho at noon and Austin, Texas-based folk duo Lost Patterns at 3 p.m.
Food and drink vendors will have tacos, barbecue, beer, coffee and more for sale. There will also be artist booths and luthiers, and the Lawrence Arts Center will provide a kid-friendly family area with workshops and a craft station.
In the event of rain, the event will either be delayed or moved indoors. If moved indoors, music competitions will be held at Americana Music Academy, 1419 Massachusetts St., and concerts will be held at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St. Details will be posted by 10 a.m. the day of the event at fidpick.org, according to the release.
FidPick is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving traditional American acoustic music. This year’s event is sponsored by the Doug DuBois Harmony Fund, the Kansas Arts Commission, the City of Lawrence, Explore Lawrence and more.
More information and a full schedule is available at fidpick.org. Those interested in volunteering can email info@fidpick.org to get involved.
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Lane Rozin (he/they), a contributor to the Lawrence Times, is a student at the University of Kansas Schools of Journalism and Film. He is a graduate of Pittsburg High School, where he was the multimedia editor for the Booster Redux/Pitt Media in 2019-21. He is currently the arts & culture editor at the University Daily Kansan and a radio show host at KJHK. See more of his work for the Times here.
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