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Tuesday, September 23, 1986 / University Daily Kansan
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Jim Larkins, Chester, Neb., records the music at the National Bluegrass Banio Championship on Sunday.
Mike Gabbard, Farminoton, Ark., waits to see whether he made it to the second round of competition.
After six years of competing, Karen Mueller, right, Lawrence resident and a KU graduate, displays her first-place trophy and custom autoharp that she won in the International Autoharp Championship.
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The four-day festival, which began Thursday, marked the 15th time that the national convention for Acoustic String Musicians brought competitors and listeners from across the United States.
heather they go to play or go to listen, bluegrass fans fill the fairgrounds in Winfield every year for the annual National Fletch Picking Championship.
Four stages featuring amateurs and professionals allowed listeners to pick and choose a variety of bluegrass to suit their fancy.
"Fun, that's why I keep coming." Steve Mason, Lawrence graduate
Mason said he had been to about 12 of the last 15 festivals. He is a member of the Alferd Packer Memorial String Band, which is based in Lawrence. He didn't compete this year. Instead, he came to the festival to dance, see old friends and to just sit back and listen to the music.
student, said Sunday
The festival was closed by a new winner of the International Autoharp Championship, Karen Mueller, KU graduate and Lawrence resident. It was her sixth year of competing in Winfield.
Photo story by Tony Vourax and Jacki Kelly
The barn was filled with listeners eager to hear the country's finest autoharp players.
Karen Mueller, Lawrence resident, right, gets a hug from Becky Blackey, Brisbane Calif., after Mueller won the International Autoharp Championship.