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SIERRA VISTA — The sweet sounds of strings echoed through Veterans’ Memorial Park on Saturday as the Cochise County Youth Orchestra hosted its Fourth Annual Sierra Vista Fiddle Contest.
The event, a fundraiser for the youth orchestra, brought hundreds of people out as fiddlers of all ages gave it their best in an effort to walk away with one of the dozens of cash prizes.
“It’s a day that youth music really shines,” said Jim Jones, president of the Cochise County Youth Orchestra Board.
The contest also gives contestants a chance to compete in a more relaxed environment away from formal competitions.
  
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“A lot of the contests are under Old Time Fiddlers Association rules,” Jones said. “This is kind of like an open fiddle contest.”
The different atmosphere is apparent to everyone, especially the Rubio family, who are veterans of the Southwest musical contest scene.
“There’s a lot more young people at this concert,” said Mackenzie Rubio, 20. “More than any other one we’ve been to.”
Remarking on the casual attitudes of the fiddlers, Mackenzie said the majority of contests he and his family have attended are more formal.
“People are very reserved at contests. They don’t usually talk to each other,” he said.
His sister, Loretta, 16, agreed.
“There’s no interaction,” she said.
It didn’t take them long to notice the difference in the Sierra Vista event.
“Here, everyone’s so open and will talk to you and tell you what they’re going to be playing,” Mackenzie said.
The Rubios, with their sister, Jennifer, were the judges at the event.
“It’s a little nerve-racking, to tell you the truth,” Mackenzie said.
It was the first time judging for all of them.
Despite some anxieties, their musical experience gives them a solid base for judging, which each having been playing for at least 10 years.
Another musical group, the Buena High School band, was at the event serving chili dogs and drinks to a hungry audience. President of the Buena Band Association Joe Klein said they enjoy fundraising alongside other musical projects.
“It dovetails real nicely with the fiddlers contest, because we’re a band organization,” he said. “It’s music supporting music.”
Proceeds from the event will allow the youth orchestra to issue scholarships to qualifying members who are going to college next year, Jones said.
The contest averages about $2,000 in proceeds for the orchestra and about $1,000 for the Buena band.
Jones had worried that rising fuel costs might hurt attendance, which in turn would mean less raffle ticket sales, the main source of income for the Cochise County Youth Orchestra at the event. However, after surveying the crowd, he seemed satisfied.
“It’s leaning toward being the biggest yet,” he said.
With partner and trick fiddle contests, the 4th Annual Sierra Vista Fiddle Contest is in a league of its own.
“It’s a fiddlers’ fiddle contest,” Jones said.
Just don’t call it a violin.
HERALD/REVIEW reporter Derek Jordan can be reached at 515-4680 or by e-mail at derek.jordan@svherald.com.
RESULTS
Results from Saturday’s Sierra Vista Fiddle Contest.
Accompaniment Division
1. Eduardo Pallares
2. Michael Shu
Break Your Fiddle
1. Andrew Donald
2. Michael Shu
Twin Fiddle Division
1. Lauren and Sam Jones
2. Elizabeth Simmons and Alice Pitts
3. Kevin DeRusha and Kim Skinner
Trick Fiddle Division
1. Michael Shu
2. Andrew Donald
3. Alice Pitts
Pee Wee Divison
1. Pearson Wallace
2. Braman Merayo
3. Emily Blomstrand
4. Jacob Simmons
5. Braden Boisvert
6. Tess Baze
7. Lily Selznick
Jr. Jr. Division
1. John Brewer
2. Sam Jones
3. Clarke Wallace
4. Joseph Turner
5. Brooke Boisvert
6. Clement Teich
7. Annais Bhalla
Junior Division
1. Annabel Wallace
2. Katherine Messer
3. Hans Bhalla
4. Lauren Jones
5. Jeremy Simmons
6. Nichole Lonchar
7. Abigail Carter
Adult Divison
1. Sue Elsclager
2. Laura Barry
3. Kevin DeRusha
4. Don Eskue
5. Monk Maxwell
6. Marti White
7. Diane Jones
Young Adult
Division
1. Andrew Donald
2. Michael Shu
3. David Kaemmer
4. Joshua Galyon
5. Danielle Hendry
6. Kristen Tourville
7. Elizabeth Simmons
fijidawg wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:10 PM: