
The following year we added two more instruments. Garold Hanscom a well-known fiddle player played Guitar, and Vivian played a keyboard. The weather cooperated very nicely, and it was even a more memorial event and another wonderful day was spent on the river.
The next winter one cold January day Ivan phoned me and asked if he were to bring 50 fiddle players to Nictau, would I be able to find enough canoes to float the group down the river? This was to celebrate Ivan’s 50th anniversary of playing the fiddle! Within a week I had the canoes all lined up and phoned him back and we set a date in late June. A float was put together for square dancers, and the afternoon was so fantastic all the fiddlers said we are all coming back NEXT year and telling their friends, and they did, and year after year it has grown in size and popularity. Helen Edgar started the Fiddles on the Tobique annual fiddle camp, first with twelve students, one was from China and two were from Egypt! Now the fiddle camp has over 80 students and is well recognized as one of the finest fiddle camps to be found anywhere.
More events were also planned as the popularity grew. Now there are fiddle workshops, jam sessions, a lovely concert, a pancake breakfast, the famous river run, a dance, BBQ's, and on Sunday morning a lovely church service. It is a three-day affair and people from England, France, Germany, Holland, Scotland, Switzerland, Egypt, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, The Philippines, Japan, and the USA nave gathered on the Tobique for this truly international event.
CBC has been on the Tobique several times with On the road again, Land and Sea, and The National. A film company from Toronto has been here for a half hour “made for TV” program, a film company from France also filmed a documentary on Canadian old tyme fiddle music which included Fiddles on the Tobique, and most recently Mozus Productions did a one hour “made for TV” documentary on the Maritime Violin of Jasper Wood and filmed in HD which included the Fiddles on the Tobique.
Fiddles on the Tobique is a unique festival which celebrates the beauty and history of a lovely river, THE TOBIQUE, the music of old tyme fiddling tradition, and enjoying one of Canada’s 7 wonders, the Canoe. There is no registration, no fee to come down the river, if you would like to become a "Friend of Fiddles on the Tobique, and make a contribution to help in the cost and expenses, such donations would be very much appreciated.
Enjoy Fiddles on the Tobique guilt free by making a donation to:
"Friends of Fiddles on the Tobique",
4160 Route 385 Nictau, NB, and E7G 3A9
Bill Miller
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