GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
The annual membership meeting was held in Salome, Arizona on November 3, 2007. Items of interest to the members included a by law change addressing the dues. It was voted to raise the Arizona Oldtime Fiddlers Association dues from $6 for singles and $8 for families, to $12 across the board (Please note, this does not include any chapter dues you may owe). This increase was necessary in order to publish the newsletter, due to the rising costs of postage and printing. Also, the Association does not charge dues for members 80 years old and older. We currently have 110 memberships in this category, and the number rises each year. We are working on getting the newsletter to you either by this website or email. Hopefully, this will be implemented before the next newsletter comes out. Please contact Noreen if you would like to receive your newsletter in this manner.
It was also announced that the Spring Campout is being moved from the Verde Valley Fairgrounds to the Fort Verde Parks & Recreation Building in Camp Verde. This site offers a football field to park RV's on, a large hall for the show, as well as kitchen facilities. They will also do all the advertising for the event. We look forward to working with this group, and thank them for the use of the area.
The Southern Arizona Oldtime Fiddlers Association and the Catalina Mountain Chapter of AOTFA are co-sponsoring a Kids Only Fiddle Contest. SAOTFA President Wilbur Welsh has been working on this event for quite some time. Every child will receive a prize, and in the "First Ever Contest" the kids will be allowed to use music stands. We commend these chapters for the hard work they are putting into this endeavor and hope that this will only be one of many contests for the kids.
A lengthy discussion ensued as to what plans the AOTFA has to encourage young people to become interested in fiddling, or the accompaniment of same. It was pointed out that there are already a few workshops available, as well as teachers throughout the state. The following article outlines one chapters' efforts at accomplishing this. The Salome Fiddlers Jamboree is again having the elementary school kids come to a "concert/question and answer" period. It was attended by about 50 children this year. We encourage you to give us suggestions on what else we can do to encourage others.
The final order of business for the day was election of officers. All officers and Board Members at Large agreed to serve for another year. The slate of officers is listed on the home page.
CONGRATULATIONS MILE HIGH CHAPTER
The Mile High Chapter discovered they had some extra money in their treasury and decided to sponsor three scholarships to students to learn fiddling. These scholarships are for ten lessons each with Doug Fulker a well-known fiddle teacher in Prescott, who belongs to the Arizona Old Time Fiddlers Association and wants to see our traditions continue. The scholarships were awarded to Levi Hemingway, a fifth grader in Prescott Valley who has played fiddle for five years, Edward Ridder, a sixth grader in Prescott, who has played fiddle for two years, and to Brandie Schaan, a third grader in Prescott Valley, who has played the violin for five years and is anxious to learn fiddle music. These kids are exceptionally talented and will make a good addition to their chapter. If the idea proves successful, we plan to try to make it an ongoing project and bring more young people into our chapter and the joy of fiddling. It is encouraging to know that the young people are interested in our type of music.
AOTFA HALL OF FAME
The Arizona Old Time Fiddlers Association has inducted the first recipients into the Hall of Fame. This all took place at the Annual Campout and Steakfry in Cottonwood, in March of 2007. The inductees included one living and one deceased fiddler who has been instrumental in the Association. The recipients received a plaque and there is a large plaque that will remain with the association which was made by Dennis Russell of Yuma. This plaque will contain the names of the inductees. A notebook of memorabilia will also be on display.
This years inductees were H. B. "Mac" McCloud, deceased. Mac was co-founder of the AOTFA and president many times. He was born September 5, 1918, in Adrian, WV. He started playing at the age of 6 or 7. His father played banjo. They moved to east central Ohio around 1930 or '31, to work in the clay and coal mines. The family band played on WSTV. When his father died, he put his fiddle away until one day he and wife, Louise, attended a fiddle contest in Payson, AZ. He found a Stainer fiddle at a flea market and, like they say, the rest is history. He continued to be a member until his death.
Our living inductee is Jay Belt. Jay was also a co-founder of the AOTFA and the first president in 1974. Jay's family traveled from Kentucky and other points, for the event and included it in their annual vacation to Arizona, to celebrate Jay's birthday. Jay was very surprised and thrilled with the presentation. Jay was born March 1, 1931, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was surrounded by greats like Johnny Lee Wills, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, and Art Davis. He moved to California in 1948, and became involved in a lot of different kinds of music. He was instrumental in forming the California Old Time Fiddlers Association, and after moving to Arizona in 1974, he helped form the Arizona Old Time Fiddlers Association. He served as the first president in 1974 and '75. He was California State Champion in 1968, '69 and '74. He was Arizona State Champ in 1974 and has placed as high as 5th place at the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest, in Weiser, Idaho. Jay now resides in Oregon, but travels all over in his motor home, entertaining young and old alike with his fiddle.
Jay's Certificate Jay and son, Norman