The Walnut Valley Festival’s annual mandolin contest has been elevated to national championship status, festival officials said Monday.
Since 1976, the festival ? which is held at the Winfield Fairgrounds each September ? has hosted a Walnut Valley Mandolin Championship. This year, that event will have a new name and an added level of respect, organizers said.
The National Mandolin Championship joins the flatpick guitar, mountain dulcimer, hammer dulcimer and bluegrass banjo as other instruments to carry national championship status. Entries for the mandolin contest already have been received from seven states, Australia and Japan.
The contest is limited to 40 entries and will be held at 1 p.m. Sept. 17. The top three winners receive a portion of the prize package. In 2010, the festival will award just under $100,000 in prizes for top finishers in eight instrument contests.
To purchase advance tickets to the festival or to inquire about various contests, call (620) 221-3250.
