State's Longest Running Fiddle Contest Returns To Mercer County This Weekend

Some of the Tri-State Area's best musicians come to Mercer County this weekend for New Jersey’s longest-running fiddle contest. "Fiddlin' on the Farm," a gathering reminiscent of an old-fashioned fiddlers' convention comes to Howell Living History Farm on Saturday, Aug. 26.

More than 40 fiddlers will compete for prizes and bragging rights before a panel of judges and appreciative listeners. Judging in adult and youth divisions begins at noon and concludes at 3 p.m., with other farm activities offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The program includes homemade food and ice cream, hayrides and a closing performance where all fiddlers convene on the farmhouse front lawn to play a set of traditional favorites. Parking and admission are free.

The Hunterdon Folk Exchange launched the event in a high school gym in 1987, but the contest soon outgrew the gym. It then moved to Howell Farm during the farm's 1998 Corn Maze, when the Friends of Howell Farm created their annual fundraising maze around the image of a fiddle.

Howell Farm is owned by the County of Mercer and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission. It is located on Valley Road, just off Route 29, in Hopewell Township. The GPS address is 70 Woodens Lane, Hopewell Township, NJ 08530. Visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, visit www.howellfarm.org or www.mercercountyparks.org.

Attached image was provided: Visitors gather at Howell Living History Farm to hear the unique sounds at the Fiddlin’ on the Farm program.