Fiddler David Bellegante has been involved with the Iowa State Fair's oldest competition for over 50 years, all because his great-grandfather, back in 1895, saw a boy dragging a fiddle down a cobblestone street.
He traded a pocketknife and a quarter for it.
Now, four generations of his family have kept fiddling. Bellegante has earned 16 blue ribbons and nine grand championships at the fair, and has served as the contest’s emcee since 2001. He has taught many of the competitors and earned induction into both the Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame and the Iowa Bluegrass Hall of Fame.
On Sunday, he, along with his kids and grandkids, performed a tribute for the competition's 100th year at Pioneer Hall.
Since 1924, the event has brought together musicians of all ages and skill levels, each vying for the coveted title of Grand Champion. This year, that honor went to Kat Schmidt of Des Moines. Kirk Brandenberger of Keokuk was named runner-up.
The crowd cheered and clapped as the contestants flew through musical runs, double stops and difficult rhythms. A couple of people swayed to the impressive tunes.
The contest is open to all, including non-Iowans, and follows long-standing rules. Each contestant plays a hoedown, a waltz and a tune of their choice — all from memory. Winners in various age groups compete for the grand champion title, with cash prizes and rosettes awarded.
“I think I love these songs so much that I would hate to not play them the way I want to hear them and the way I’d want to dance to ’em,” Schmidt said after her win.
Schmidt won her last Grand Championship in 2023. She began learning the fiddle at age 10, and said she has competed — and lost — against her long-time teacher Bellegante on multiple occasions. On Sunday, they played each other's fiddles in an impressive maneuver called "playing the double fiddle."
“I’ve grown up with these people," Schmidt said. "I started when I was maybe 3 feet tall and 10 years old, and they all knew me as a kid ... but they know everything I've been through in my life. And we sort of keep updated at the one or two events every year where we all fiddle around together."
