Thousands Expected at Banjo/Fiddle Fest

Thousands of people are expected Sunday at Paramount Ranch for an old-fashioned foot-stompin’ music festival, the 37th annual Topanga Banjo/Fiddle Contest.

The festival will bring together banjo players, fiddlers, mandolin and guitar players in competition, and professional bluegrass and Cajun bands, choirs and storytellers for entertainment.

In addition to music, the event features cowboy poetry, several kinds of dance demonstrations and instruction--including Scottish country, Cajun and clog--children’s games and crafts and folk art.

A festival highlight every year has been the impromptu jam sessions that spring up around the grounds, with amateurs jumping in with seasoned veterans to create unique sounds, organizers said.

The festival began in 1961 with 26 banjo players, five fiddlers, four judges and only a few hundred spectators. It has grown into a destination event for musicians cut from the down-home cloth.

Much of the festival will take place on four stages from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the ranch, near Agoura off Cornell Way, about two miles from Kanan Road.

Tickets, which are available at the gate, are $7 general, $4 for youngsters 10 to 17 and for seniors, and free for children 9 and younger. Parking is free.

For more information, call (818) 382-4819.