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Branch #1, Prince George, is a vibrant group of fiddlers, backup musicians, and those who just love to listen, who enjoy getting together to jam, dance and have fun together! We are committed to bringing the upbeat, happy sound of old-time music to our community by providing music at various events, dances, and seniors’ residences. We jam Tuesdays – come join us!
Jam Nights and Group Lessons
Every Tuesday until – June 24, 2025 from 7 to 9 pm at First Baptist Church, 5th/Harper (483 Gillett for GPS). Everyone welcome. $5 donation to help cover venue costs.
Group Beginner Fiddle lessons are being offered again by our club @ $10/lesson, taught by Shawnee Newton, a very capable and friendly instructor. If you are interested, please call Shawnee at home at (250) 568-2215.
UPCOMING DANCES
February 22, March 22
7 – 11 pm at 425 Brunswick St (Senior Activity Centre) in Prince George. A great family event for all ages, featuring old time dances and called group dances. $10 includes ice cream treat, kids under 18 free with supervising parent. Live music by members of Branch #1 BC Old Time Fiddlers.
BRANCH #1 CONTACTS
Branch Mailing Address – Box 416, Prince George, BC V2L 4S2
Facebook Address – https://www.facebook.com/pgfiddlers
Phone or E-mail – E-mail: pgfiddlers@gmail.com (250) 565-1025
NEWS LETTERS For recent news and upcoming events check out our latest Branch #1 newsletter under Headings at top of page.
PREVIOUS NEWS LETTERS CLICK HERE
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BRANCH #1 EXECUTIVE AND MEMBERSHIP
Executive for 2025, elected at AGM January 26, 2025
- President: Shawnee Newton
- Vice President: Doug Borden
- Treasurer: Beth Bressette
- Secretary: Richard Mansfield
Directors:
- Michelle Sims
- Shane Smith
- Breanne Palik
- Elizabeth Eakin
- Ron Kushniruk
Membership
62 Members, including 6 children/youth and 11 ‘Life Members’ (special designation with benefits awarded to those members who have provided exceptional volunteer support for the club). Within our membership there are 30 fiddlers and 22 backup musicians. Annual membership, due 01 September each year, is $16 for adults and free for children and teens under 18 with an adult member.
REGULAR EVENTS
MONTHLY DANCES – Usually 4th Saturdays Sept – March (except Dec) with one exception on Jan 11, 2025. We encourage families to attend our dances by keeping our door price low and not charging for children under 18 with parents/grandparents, and the result has been a great mix of all ages, where dancers can learn some group and couple dances. Dances are 7 – 11 pm at 425 Brunswick St, Prince George (Senior Activity Centre). Admission still $10 (for now), includes ice cream bar snacks, door prizes and spot dance prizes. 2025 Dance Dates: Jan 11, Feb 22, Mar 22, Sept 27, Oct 25, Nov 22. There is also a special Jamboree Dance on Fri May 2 downstairs at Knox Performance Centre, 1448 – 5th Ave.
WEEKLY JAM SESSIONS – every Tuesday evening 7 – 9 pm, September to June 30 at First Baptist Church, 5th and Harper St. Cost $5 towards hall rent. All instruments welcome, as well as those wishing to just pull up a chair and listen or have a dance or two. For more information call (250) 565-1025.
GROUP BEGINNER FIDDLE LESSONS – Group lessons with Shawnee Newton. They run in six-week packages for new and beginner fiddlers of all ages; $60 or $10/week. Please contact Shawnee at (250) 568-2215 or (250) 614-8192 or at shawneem@telus.net.
ANNUAL SPRING JAMBOREE – MAY 2-4, 2025 – Our 2025 Spring Jamboree is in the works and will include Mark Sullivan and other talented instructors providing top-notch workshops in fiddle (intermediate and advanced) as well as some of the backup instruments – Stay tuned! Dance Friday, concert Saturday, workshops all day Sat and Sun.
PLAYOUTS – groups of fiddlers and backup musicians volunteer their time to entertain at seniors’ residences and special events in the community as they come up.
GUEST INSTRUCTORS – The club occasionally brings in a renowned fiddler to put on a concert and provide group instruction and individual private lessons if desired.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – Our next AGM will be held the last Sunday of January, 2026, preceded by a potluck dinner at 5 pm. More info closer to the date.
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BURSARY – Application deadline May 15
Branch #1 offers a bursary to a young person graduating Grade 12 and going on to post-secondary studies. The bursary is awarded annually based on contributions to the club by the applicant and their immediate family. Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an active and current member of the Branch for at least the past year
- The applicant and/or a member of the applicant’s immediate family must have contributed a minimum 10 hours of volunteer time to branch activities and events over the past calendar year.
- The applicant must provide proof of enrollment in a full-time post-secondary program.
- Can be eligible for up to 4 years provided criteria is met each year.
- Up to $500 annually; amount to be determined by the board
Application process – Please submit a letter by May 15 to BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Association at pgfiddlers@gmail.com or Box 416 Prince George, BC V2L4S2 _____________________________________________________________________________
HISTORY of BRANCH #1
Informal fiddling jam sessions in the 1960s in Prince George led to the formation of the BC Old Time Fiddlers’ Association in 1968 in Prince George that would bring all fiddlers and backup musicians together to further promote and encourage the art of old-time fiddling. The founding members became the first board, but other enthusiasts quickly joined in. The board formed their own constitution and held their first contest in 1970. For the early years the contest was held in conjunction with the Fall Fair and was extremely popular. Guest fiddlers in the early years (who were also judges) included Al Cherney, Graham Townsend, Calvin Vollrath and Reg Bouvette. Fiddlers came from all over the province as well as Alberta and the US to enter the contests, which eventually led to the formation of other branches throughout the province. In 1978 a group was formed to head up a provincial association and Prince George became Branch #1 of the British Columbia Old Time Fiddlers’ Association. The Prince George club became very active in the 1970s and 80s, and in 1977 had two 16 foot giant fiddles built to scale that decorated parade floats and contest halls for many years. The Championship Contest continued to be held in Prince George for 1978 and 79, and after that it began to rotate throughout the branches. Prince George hosted the Provincial Championships in 1989 and 2014 to mark the club’s 20th and 45th Anniversaries. In November 2018 we had a fantastic evening to mark our 50 YEAR CELEBRATION. There was a full house of 135 tickets for a catered dinner, concert featuring former and current members performing tunes written by some of the early members, and a dance. We even brought in one last showing of our GIANT FIDDLES, which were created for the club in the 70s.
CURRENT
The first branch has evolved since its formation 57 years ago, and we currently have a good mix of all ages participating in jams, lessons, dances, jamborees, play-outs, performances and volunteering. The branch has grown and changed, and become a more vibrant part of the community. Like many other branches, the Prince George branch had become concerned with decreasing numbers of competitors in the traditional fiddle contests, and in 2015 replaced the contest with a Jamboree, a fun weekend filled with workshops for various levels of fiddling and backup, as well as a concert and dance. Our first seven Jamborees have been great successes and we expect to plan another for next spring!
Before Covid, our Thursday Jam nights brought 50 to 80 people out weekly and many of these folks come to listen and dance. On jam nights we offered group lessons in adjoining rooms, both beginner and intermediate/advanced, for the first 45 min while the accompanists had their opportunity to provide songs and music for the dancers in the main hall. A weekly group fiddle lesson was a dream of two of our members who have since passed away, Charlotte Lapp and Ardea Wylie. After their lesson this mixed group of children, teens and adults of all levels of ability then went on stage together to play some of the new tunes they had been learning, as well as other fiddle tunes, until 9:30 pm. As always, the fiddlers were joined by an array of backup musicians on stage and a room full of dancers on the floor, which gave them an opportunity to learn dance tempos and practise playing with other musicians. This group often opened for celebrity fiddlers that we hosted for concerts and workshops. They also played for community events as a large group, while smaller groups played regularly each month at 8 seniors’ residences. Besides our weekly jams we had monthly dances from September to March, with rotating groups of fiddlers and backup providing the dance music, and volunteers providing a lunch and bar.
Covid changed all of this, and when we couldn’t rent the previous hall we moved our Jamming to a different hall and the format changed from a large weekly dance to a smaller acoustic circle jam where participants can learn new tunes and play tunes slower at first to learn them. It was hoped that those who used to like to dance at the jams would attend our monthly dances, and attendance has increased at the dances. Everyone is welcome to come out to the jams – to play, watch or dance.
The club is able to continue only as long as we have helpful and willing volunteers, which can be challenging in this busy day and age. We now have a Facebook page, a valuable way to share upcoming events and new fiddle tunes. With our membership at 60 and new fiddlers coming all the time, we believe the club is an inspiration to the community to develop an appreciation for old time fiddle music, as well as being a source of learning and enjoyment for all member musicians and supporters.