10— SANOV (Ore.) POST Thur».. Aug 3. 1971 (Sec 2)
Oregon £hamp at the fair
Fiddling lady to stru t her stuff
Special to the Host
Oregon's champion old-
time fiddler is a lady — and a
mighty fetching one at that.
Her long blonde hair, trim
fig u re ,
and
show-girl
features are a long throw
CD
l CD
from the traditional image of
the old-time fiddler grinding
and stomping out tunes in
Grange and Farmers Union
halls throughout the rural
countryside.
Be that as it may, Carol
Ann Wheeler of Scholls plays
a mean fiddle. That’s why
she was selected Oregon
champion for the second
time at the state Old-Time
Fiddlers Association com
petition at Bend last May. It
also explains why she placed
second in the national
women’s contest at Weiser,
Idaho, in June.
The Weiser contest, ending
in a v irtu a l tie , was
somewhat of a heart-stopper
When it was over, the winner
and Ms. Wheeler had
amassed over 2,000 points
each — Carol Ann lost by
only one point. The contest
was declared the closest ever
held in national competition.
Thirty-seven women and
close to 400 men from all
parts of the nation com
peted at Weiser.
The championship form
that has won so much
distinction fbr Oregon’s lady
champ w ill be demonstrated
this month at the Clackamas
County F a ir which starts
Tuesday, Aug 15 and runs
through Sunday, Aug. 20. Ms.
Wheeler w ill appear with the
Old-Time fiddlers at the fair
on Aug. 18 and w ill play at
the talent contest Aug. 16.
Like many other old-time
fiddlers, Carol Ann Wheeler
is an accomplished musician
in the traditional sense.
Three years ago she was
playing violin with a sym
phony orchestra in Alaska,
but shortly thereafter gave
up classical to devote herself
to fiddling.
She began her classical
violin training in California
when she was nine years old.
Later she received a degree
in music from San Jose State
University and taught string
instruments in seven San
Carlos, Calif., schools After
moving to Oregon she sub
stituted as a music teacher in
the
Beaverton
School
District.
ball game."
It's possible to play both
traditional music and fiddle
tunes, but it's easier to
choose one over the other and
stick with it, Carol Ann
reasons. “ I ’ve chosen fid
dling because I like its
relaxed style, its folksy
heritage, its broad appeal
and the good fellowship it
generates,” she declares.
When fiddlers get together,
even with no audience but
themselves, a rollicking good
time ensues.
Difference is the Music
The
m ain
difference
between violin and fiddle,
Ms. Wheeler explains, is the
kind of music you play, the
way you play it, and the way
you learn it. With a violin,
she says, you learn and play
from music already written
by note. With a fiddle,
however, you learn by
listening to music as it is
played.
“ You may play it note by
note, just the way you hear it,
or what frequently happens,
you play the way you think
you hear it,” she observes.
“ This,” she adds, “ is what
makes for creativity in
fiddling. A fiddler doesn’t
change the basic tune, but he
usually adds touches of his
own that makes his rendition
a little different from that of
other players.”
O ld-tim e fid d le rs are
better today than they were
50 years ago, she believes,
because of the electronics
age. Fiddlers in years past,
she’s been told by those who
were there, had but fleeting
time to grasp new tunes
played by visiting fiddlers.
Now they can tape or record
a tune and play if over and
over again until they’ve
mastered it.
Although many fiddlers,
like herself, are trained
musicians, others have had
no form al training and can’t
read music. “ Some of our
best fiddlers are in this latter
category,”
Ms. Wheeler
says. “ You learn to play by
ear and that is an art in it
self,” she explains, adding:
“ I read music better than I
do English, but when I turned
to fiddling it was a brand new
More Women Fiddlin'
More and more women are
taking up fiddling and a
surprising number of them
are top winners in contests
throughout the country.
It isn’t always the best
fiddler who wins in contests,
she observes. “ Sometimes
I ’ve won and felt I should
have lost, while other times
I ’ve lost and knew I should
have won,” she says. “ It all
depends on how your per
formance impresses the
judges.”
In a recent contest Carol
Ann bested a talented man
who had taught her much of
what she knows. “ I knew in
my heart he was a better
fiddler,” she says. “ I beat
him
w ith
style
and
showmanship.”
Ms. Wheeler w ill perform
in the annual Clackamas
County Fair Talent Contest
at the fairgrounds Wed
nesday evening, Aug. 16.
When not attending con
tests, fairs and shows, Carol
Ann
Wheeler is busy
developing the fid d lin g
talents of others. Some two
dozen students taken private
lessons from her in the park
like setting of her rustic
home south of Scholls. And
this you can count on. Most of
her students w ill ultim ately
become members of the
Oregon State Association of
Old-Time Fiddlers.
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i
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Staff photo
Carol Ann Wheeler
Dogwood’s natural state
is best for home growing
I f the leaves of your
dogwood tree take on an odd
curl or discoloration every
summer, the tree may be
telling you it doesn’t like
your soil or its exposure to
the sun. Or it may not like the
kind of care you are giving it.
Ray M cNeilan, Home
H o r tic u ltu r e E x te n s io n
Agent, advises gardeners
who are trying to grow a
dogwood tree in their yard to
look at the native habitat of
this tree. In its natural state
it is found growing in soil of
average fe rtility with ex
cellent drainage charac
teristics. The dogwood does
not do well in heavy, wet,
poorly drained soils.
Usually the dogwood is
found in nature growing
under or near tall trees
which
fu rn ish
filte re d
sunlight. Seldom are they
found growing in full open
sunlight. The open, sunny
yard can cause problems for
most dogwoods During hot,
sunny weather the leaves
may curl or fold to try to
escape the hot sunlight.
In areas with dependable
hot sunny weather, sunburn
damage to the trun k
becomes a problem. In
western Oregon we have
more of a problem from
mechanical damage to the
trun k and crown area.
Lawnmowers k ill their an
nual share of dogwoods by
skinning the tree trunk. The
open wounds are an in
vita tio n to wood ro ttin g
fungus diseases which can
enter and gradually k ill the
tree.
A newly planted dogwood
w ill need watering regularly
through its first summer in
the yard. Once the tree is
established,
w ater
in
frequently. Fertilizer may be
needed every several years
Avoid using weed and feed
lawn
fe rtiliz e rs
near
dogwood trees.
M cN eilan says if the
dogwood is planted in well
drained soil and given af
ternoon shade it w ill become
a valued member of the
landscape.
F ru stratio ns
arise when one overlooks the
natural requirements of this
plant.
NelTs notes
Couple married on the
Congratulations to Lucia
(nee Fox) and Vince Keegan
on their marriage on July 15.
It was one of the loveliest
ceremonies I have attended.
Reverend Paul Gros of
ficiated . They w ill be
tra v e lin g
in
northern
C a lifo rn ia and southern
Oregon for some time so
have purchased a large
trailer and w ill move from
place to place. They w ill get
to see places they would
probably never plan on
taking a trip to, and besides I
am a nomad at heart, and
think everyone else should be
also.
Congratulations to Cindy
and Tracy Bayliss on the
birth of their first child, a
son, Clinton Roy, who
m ountain
admit to birthdays because^
the kids always arrive to
make it a very special day.
There w ill now be two
dentists in Wally McKenzies
office. D r. James F ler-
chinger, DDS, a graduate of
Creighton U n iv e rsity of
Omaha, Nebraska w ill have
his office open on August 1.
That means the office w ill
now be open six days a week.
Dr. Flerchinger w ill be there
Tuesdays, F rid ays and
Saturdays.
a rriv e d J u ly 21 in the
e v e n in g .
A s o
congratulations
to
the
grandparents, Clyde and
Tulia Phelps, and Georgia
Bayliss, and the Great
Grandmother Mrs Baker.
Can’t understand how it
happened to be a boy; that is
the second one I have
predicted wrong this month
They are all thrilled.
I even survived another
birthday, and can not tell the
difference between this one
and the last one — guess
when you get this old another
one makes no difference. Our
son and daughter surprised
us by coming over to Madras
for the day with lovely gifts
and very special company.
That is the main reason I
Dr. Flerchinger and his
w ife, Debbie, have p u r
chased a home in Timberline
Rim and we welcome them
as new residents to the
mountain as well as wish
them the very best in their
new office.
Lots of
Luv Pickups
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