Osceola, N.Y. – A luthier?  What’s a Lutheir?  How does the North American Fiddlers Hall of Fame and Museum in Osceola come to have a metal bass fiddle on display; how does that bass differ from the usual wooden instrument?  Who are the people in all these pictures?  How does someone get chosen to be inducted into the Hall of Fame? Is “Dancing men” an instrument? 

The NYS Old Tyme Fiddlers Association will share these answers at their 2024 Day at the Museum on July 21, 2024 from 2:00-5:00 pm.  The Fiddlers’ site at 1121 Comins Road in Osceola is handicap accessible, smoke-free, drug-free, and pet-free.  The admission is FREE, and there is FREE parking on the left side of the shared driveway.

Guided tours of the Museum and Hall of Fame will be given.  There will be opportunities to try playing instruments used for producing Old Time (Traditional) Music.  Among those instruments are THE MANDOLIN, HARMONICA, WASHBOARD, UKELELI, SPOONS, 4 STRING BANJO, DANCING MEN, PIANO, BASS, GUITAR, AND, OH YES, THE FIDDLE.  Of course, if there are instruments, there will be opportunities to listen to music performances, as well as to “Jam” throughout the afternoon.

Werner Koegst, the Lutheir at the Violin Shoppe in Oneida NY, will answer questions about how fiddles are designed, repaired, and protected.  He’s been known to join the “jams” as well.

The music performances will be in the Pavilion, which may be enclosed in case of inclement weather. It includes sufficient seating, a dance floor, a brick patio with picnic tables, an adjoining children’s play area, the Museum Store, and a flea market. The Fiddlers’ Kitchen will be open throughout the afternoon with pre-packaged snacks. 

The Annual Fiddlers’ Picnic Festival will be held on July 26, 27, and 28.  The deadline for purchasing the $20 discounted pre-sale tickets is Sunday, the 21st, at 5:00 pm.

The summer concert series is made possible, in part, by the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of the office of the NYS Governor.

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