Monday's Internet Edition, September 06, 2010.
packed with activities
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| FIDDLING SHOWCASE- Hamilton’s own Wes Westmoreland will be one of the talents featured at the annual Texas Western Swing Fiddling Showcase at the Bell County Expo in Belton on March 8. Also scheduled to perform are Randy Elmore, Dave Alexander, Johnny Gimble, Ricky Turpin and Robert Weeks. |
Dinner, by reservation only, will be served at 5:30 p.m. The dance will be from 8 p.m. until midnight. Deadline to reserve a table for the dance or for dinner reservations is March 3.
The Texas Western Swing Heritage Association of Bell County, a non-profit organ-ization, composed of local and area volunteers with Nan Ray, as events chairperson, sponsors the event.
“The purpose of the event is to promote the ‘Texas born’ music and assemble extremely talented musicians on our stage. There will be Grammy Award winners, Hall of Fame musicians, World Champion fiddlers and recording artists performing,” said Ray. “As Texas Monthly magazine reported when writing about the Annual Texas Swing Fiddle Showcase, ‘Spring time Saturday nights in the 30’s and 40’s in Small Town Texas meant a big dance. Entire communities would ride their horses or drive their trucks to the local dance hall, fill the dance floor, then shuffle and waltz around the working part of the week away.’”
The music was Western Swing and that kept the dance floor full each weekend. It will be full again on March 8.
“Make your reservations early if you want a table by the dance floor,” advised Ray. “It is a chance to enjoy a Saturday of Western Swing music like your grandparents looked forward to each Saturday night. You won’t want to miss it.”
Wes Westmoreland, a Lamkin native and Hamilton High School graduate, was born in a family whose musical history goes back many decades. His granddad, H.D. Westmoreland, Sr., an accomp-lished fiddler, began teaching Wes to play at age nine. The fiddle tunes Wes had heard all his life came easy to him and he began to play in contests all over the state of Texas.
At the age of 18, he won the National Junior Championship Fiddle Contest held in Weiser, Idaho. Wes moved to Branson, MO to play for Boxcar Willie for a year before accepting a job to play for Mel Tillis. He played for Tillis and his band, The Statesiders, for 10 years.
Throughout those years he not only worked for shows in Branson, he also traveled extensively across the United States and to Okinawa, Japan. He also performed with Tillis on the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, television broadcasts such as Nashville Now, Crook and Chase, Austin City Limits and in various show places and casinos in Las Vegas.
After playing music professionally for 15 years, he decided to pursue a Pharmacy Doctorate Degree. He is now a pharmacist at Scott and White Hospital.
Robert Weeks’ dad also introduced him to the fiddle at an early age and he began entering fiddling contests. Robert won four Junior State Fiddle Titles, five Junior World Fiddle Titles and the overall State Fiddle Championship at the age of 17.
After high school, Weeks went to Nashville and toured on the George Country Music Festival. Shortly thereafter, he joined Jody Nix and has been playing fiddle with Nix for eight years. Traditional Country and Western Swing are favorites of Weeks and he is in the process of recording his own solo album.
Admission to the afternoon entertainment is $15 and may be purchased at the door. Dinner tickets must be purchased by March 3 and are $8.50. No dinner tickets will be sold at the door. Dance tickets are $15 and will be sold at the door.
Tables may be reserved for the dinner or dance by calling 254-939-8390. For further information go online at www.texaswesternswing.com or e-mail texasfiddle@aol.com.