[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 116 (Friday, July 2, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SMITHVILLE FIDDLERS' JAMBOREE AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY

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                           HON. JOHN W. ROSE

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 2, 2021

  Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th Anniversary 
of the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival, also known as 
the Official Festival of the State of Tennessee, located in Smithville, 
Tennessee. The Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival is 
dedicated to the furtherance and preservation of old-time Appalachian 
country music, dance, and authentic Appalachian art and culture.
  In 1972, Congressman Joe L. Evins, a Smithville native, conceived a 
gathering of a group of area musicians to stage an old-time Appalachian 
country music show in Smithville, Tennessee, and suggested the same to 
Barry C. Williams. Congressman Evins and Barry C. Williams, along with 
J.G. ``Bobo'' Driver, Charles Gentry, Ralph Vaughn, Neil Dudney, and 
Linda Pack formed a committee to organize such an event. On July 1, 
1972, 714 musicians representing 16 states entertained an audience of 
8,000 people.
  Now, 50 years later, this exemplary event has grown to the point that 
it is now estimated that 40,000 people attended the two-day event in 
2019, with over 250 contestants. The long and fruitful history of the 
Jamboree is a culmination of multiple cultural and historical threads 
that, woven together over time, have situated the festival as a staple 
of local heritage and is representative of tireless community 
engagement.
  Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and 
Crafts Festival organizers, committees, volunteers and the people of 
Smithville and DeKalb County, Tennessee, for their tireless work to 
make this event an overwhelming success. Tennesseans take great pride 
in institutions and events that seek to make the community a better 
place to live, and I am honored to recognize the Smithville Jamboree as 
one of these events. Therefore, I would like my colleagues to join me 
in honoring and commending the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts 
Festival for 50 years of tribute to Appalachian art and culture.

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