The Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association

Established in 1965

We are divided into regional districts to make it easier to find resources and people to play with locally.  Each active district has a chairperson, and each submits a monthly report to be included in the newsletter, letting everyone know what’s going on nearby.

Click on a description below for Officers, News, and Events from the district.

District 1: Asotin, Columbia, Garfield & Whitman Counties (Not currently Active)
District 2: Ferry, Lincoln, Pend O’Reille, Spokane, and Stevens Counties
District 3: Chelan, Douglas & Okanogan Counties
District 4: Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan Counties
District 5: Kitsap, Mason, Grays Harbor & Pacific Counties
District 6: King County
District 7: Kittitas, Yakima, & Klickitat Counties (Not currently Active)
District 8: Pierce County
District 9: Lewis & Thurston Counties
District 10: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania and Wakiukum Counties
District 11: Grant & Adam Counties
District 12: Benton, Franklin, & Walla Walla Counties
District 15: Jefferson & Clallam Counties
District 16: Snohomish County
District 99: Out of State and International Members

 

History of Washington Old-Time Fiddlers Association

1965  The Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association (WOTFA) was organized in Clarkston, Washington by: Charlie O. Flynn, Gilbert N. Jeffreys, Della Jeffreys, Mary Baldwin, Fred Baldwin, Chris Eilersten, Willard H. Flynn, Harold Dodd, Joe McEvers, Jim McEvers.
 
The first WOTFA officers were:
  • President – Charlie Flylnn
  • Vice-President – Gilbert N. Jeffreys
  • Secretary/Treasurer – Mary Bladwin

The new officers filed application for incorporation with the State of Washington on 23 May 1965.  The Application was accepted, approved and filed on 25 May 1965 by the Secretary of State for the State of Washington.

1966  The first WOTFA Convention was held in George, WA in July in conjunction with the first state contest also in George. 

1966 The first state contest, 4 July, held four divisions: Junior, Senior, General and Trick Fiddling.   The winners were Larry Lowe, John Thomas, Vivian Williams, and John Buckley.
 

1988  The first summer workshop took place in Yakima; later Cle Elum then Kittitas.  Gerty Chase was the first Workshop Chair for 25 students, and the workshop has since grown to 350 students from several states and Canada.

WOTFA has grown from ten districts in 1965 to 16 districts.  Two districts have become inactive, and two districts merged for a current count of 13 active districts.  We had grown from those modest ten members in 1965 to about 1500 members in 2007, but times have changed.  Today we are still experiencing 2+ years of a pandemic which has blocked most social activities.  Just as many other fraternal organizations, we have struggled to keep active member numbers.  As of January 2022 we are 628 but have ongoing efforts to increase once again.