Local Fiddler Takes Third at State Fair

John Wallace placed third in the senior division of the Minnesota State Fiddle Contest over the weekend. He competed on the Heritage Square stage and was judged by a three-member panel.

A Minnetonka resident, Wallace teaches fiddling one-on-one at the Homestead Picking Parlor in Richfield. He also competed in the twin fiddling and gambler’s divisions of the contest.

On Sunday, Minnetonka Patch sat down with Wallace to talk fiddling and the fair.

Patch: How did you become interested in fiddling?

John Wallace: It was a long time ago, and I played other instruments first, starting with the guitar and the old-time banjo and that led me into fiddling. I like how authentic and genuine the music is. There’s a good community around the fiddle, and you never run out of things to learn or to do with the fiddle--it’s inexhaustible.

What are you going to be playing today?

I’m pretty much done with the regular competition. I’m going to be competing in the gambler’s division. You pick a tune out of a hat, and if you play a recognizable version of it, you stay on the stage. The last person on the stage knows all the tunes. You’re judged basically on how many tunes you know, not on how well you play them.

What’s your favorite thing to do at the fair?

I like checking out the whole thing. I went to the livestock barn and the art building. I saw some friends I know that runs the wood-turning demonstration out here.

What’s your favorite place to eat at the fair?

I like the Swedish meatballs at the church dining hall at the other side of the grandstand. You get to sit down and eat.