Fiddle Pie Award

The Fiddle Pie Award began in 2016 as a way to recognize and honor someone in our community for their significant contribution to continuing the tradition of old time music and dance.  

Fiddle Pie Award Winners are recognized for making a significant contribution to the continuation of old time music and/or square dancing or flatfoot dancing by meeting at least three of the following criteria:
  • Is a dancer, caller, or player of traditional old time music that inspires others to participate
  • Teaches others to play traditional old time music
  • Teaches others to square dance, flatfoot, or to call dances
  • Organizes community events that help further traditional old time music or dance
  • Volunteers in the community in ways that significantly further traditional old time music or dance
  • Significantly involved in the Oly Old Time Festival

2025 Fiddle Pie Recipients
In 2025, the award went to two individuals who co-founded the festival, Emily Teachout and T-Claw Crawford.
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​​T-CLAW CRAWFORD

2025 Fiddle Pie Awardee, T-Claw, is an Oly Old Time founder, musician, caller, and general centrifuge of fun.  He is a dance caller, musician, and community organizer.  Growing up in Nashville, TN, he played punk rock and jazz until he heard old time music.   T-Claw is the “The Johnny Appleseed” of square dancing, having instigated his enthusiastic brand of community get-togethers all across the lower 48.  T’s favorite foods are pie and biscuits.  In fact, he was one of the consumers of the very first, namesake, actual "fiddle pie" that was made after the first Oly Old Time Festival.  He currently serves as the full time Music & Dance Events Coordinator at the 100 year old John C Campbell Folk School. T-Claw was a primary instigator of the Oly Old Time scene back in the day, instilling the Grizzle Grazzle Trash Dance Band's mantra of "We are Grizzle Grizzle Tune Snugglers and so are you!" as an underlying value of the festival, fostering a climate of inclusion and inspiration for people of all ages and abilities.  

Thank you T-Claw for what you did to form, and perpetuate the Oly Old Time Festival!  

EMILY TEACHOUT

2025 Fiddle Pie Awardee, Emily Teachout, is one of the Oly Old Time Festivals founders and has helped pull off every festival since its origin in 2009.  She is an old time musician, crankie-maker, community organizer, and lead programmer for the festival.  

The idea for Oly Old Time was hatched at Emily's dining room table after one of the regular old time jams that she and her family used to host.  Following on the heels of her 2008 birthday party at the Prosperity Grange, where Grizzle Grizzle played and TClaw called his first dances, she and TClaw reflected on how great it was to get people out playing tunes and dancing in the middle of the cold, rainy, winter.  With lots of help from pals they pulled together a zero budget, do-it-yourself, homemade gathering.  That little 2009 festival turned into the recurring event we now enjoy.  Through each of them she's led the performance, dance and workshop programming and booking, hosted a myriad of traveling musicians, leads various workshops and emcee's events.  When programming, Emily keeps the focus on musicians, callers, and dancers who've only mastered their craft, but want to foster the next generation of tradition-bearers.  Emily performed for many years with Yodelady, her family band Fiddlie-I-Ay, and the Grizzle Grizzle Tune Snugglers.  She continues to host house concerts, workshops, and other community events at her Zangle Ranch Barn - nurturing Olympia's love of traditional music and dance all year long.

Thank you, Emily for co-founding the festival and efforts to create community in Olympia! 

2024 Fiddle Pie Recipient
​STACEY WATERMAN

In 2024 the Fiddle Pie Award went to Stacey Waterman. Stacey is the founder, and former Executive Director, of the Arbutus Folk School. Oly Old Time is a program of Arbutus Folk School. When you look at the earliest photos in the Oly Old Time archives you will see Stacey there, participating in workshops, volunteering, watching performances, grinning ear to ear, and soaking it all in. Stacey drew inspiration in part from the old time music community including Oly Old Time festival and the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend when she envisioned a folk school. To hear her tell it, these experiences with traditional music and dance – witnessing masters of the craft passing along knowledge and skill and seeing how it brings people together in community were a big part of her inspiration to start the Arbutus Folk School in 2013. Stacey always envisioned the Oly Old Time should be a part of the folk school and was instrumental to making the festival an official program of the Folk School.  The Arbutus Folk School now supports traditional music workshops and events throughout the year.

Thank you, Stacey for all of your contributions to Olympia’s music community, and our gratitude for her years of support for the Oly Old Time Festival.  

2023 Fiddle Pie Recipient
​LISA ORNSTEIN

In 2023 we were honored to present the Fiddle Pie Award to Lisa Ornstein, a fiddle virtuoso who is an outstanding interpreter of the traditional music of French Canada and Appalachia, blending compelling and inventive playing with impeccable tune choice. Befriended by North Carolina fiddle legend Tommy Jarrell while she was in her teens, Lisa quickly became an accomplished fiddler in the Round Peak style. A musical friendship with Franco-American fiddler Louis Beaudoin set her on a path to Quebec in 1978. When La Bottine Souriante — Quebec’s internationally renowned traditional supergroup — invited her to join the band, Lisa’s projected six-month stay began to stretch, eventually lasting twelve years. Lisa has taught, concertized, and toured extensively in North America and Europe with some of Quebec’s finest musicians, and recorded for both Smithsonian Folkways and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

We are fortunate to have Lisa here in the Pacific Northwest and so involved in our Oly Old Time Community. Lisa has infused our whole community with her knowledge, love of music and community, and generosity, and has helped to shape our entire Oly Old Time community. 

2020 Fiddle Pie Recipients
​THE OLY OLD TIME KIDS
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In 2020 the Fiddle Pie Award was a group award, given to a cohort of young people who are not only old time music enthusiasts and musicians, but have also taken on leadership roles with the festival.  They were selected in recognition of their dedication to the festival, as demonstrated by having taken on significant volunteer roles and/or contributing to the program by leading workshops.  Thank you Oly Old Time Kids for your energy and enthusiasm and for helping to inspire yet another generation of old time music and dance participants.

Award Recipients: Hatcher Cox, Rizley Cox, Annie Davis, Ellie Davis, Eros Faulk, Dante Faulk, Maggie Neatherlin, Ruby Neatherlin, Sophia Olhson-Kiehn, Nicholas Ohlson-Kiehn, Mateo Plimpton, River Scheuerell, Sage Scheuerell

2019 Fiddle Pie Recipient
JESSE PARTRIDGE

We were excited to award the 2019 Fiddle Pie Award to Jesse Partridge! Jesse is central to the Olympia Old Time community and helps to inspire new generations of musicians to take up fiddling and traditional music. Jesse is an amazing fiddler, caller, and multi-instrumentalist who always welcomes in those around him. His leadership in the Olympia All Volunteer String Band, his provision of individual music lessons, and his role in local kid jams are all ways that he fosters the next generation, and nurtures an appreciation of playing music with others.  Jesse also played a critical role in the festival's early years and held down the crucial role of Volunteer Coordinator for several years.  Often found in hallway jams at one festival or another, Jesse is known for his driving fiddle tunes and infectious smile.  

2018 Fiddle Pie Recipient
CHARMAINE SLAVEN

Charmaine Slaven, was the recipient of the 2018 Fiddle Pie Award! Charmaine is a dedicated event organizer, musician, dancer, caller, and mentor to so many of us. As Maggie Lind said:  "Charmaine exudes joy and competence. She is a kind friend and a no nonsense leader. She is also an example for all of us to set our sights and make things happen for us. Charmaine first encountered old time music as a listener and within a few short years she was singing and playing more than one instrument, could clog like a dream, and is a caller extraordinaire. Sometimes she does all of those things at the same time!"  And as the legendary square dance caller Frederick Park put it:  "Follow Charmaine Slaven, talk to her, listen to her, watch her, play with her, work with her...As an organizer, she needs our time, our sweat and blood, our support...such is my need to now say, Charmaine, I love you, support you and we are all so very, very grateful for your energies to find and give so much joy to this world. Can you hear us Darlin’? We’re bangin’ the  drum for YOU! Don’t stop!"  Charmaine was generous in her lending of advice and energy to the formation of our festival.  Her influence was foundational, and still resonates today!  

2017 Fiddle Pie Recipient
JOHN FLORY

The 2017 Fiddle Pie Award went to John Flory! John is a stalwart supporter and nurturer of the old time music community.  John has always been incredibly generous and committed to the Olympia Old Time Community, and has been instrumental in helping the Oly Old Time Festival be successful.  You're always welcome at his camp for a jam or a sip of medicinal spirits.  He’s a master craftsman who builds beautiful and sought-after banjos.  His tune learning sessions have introduced scores of people to new repertoire and his corn feed has become an important annual tradition for many of us.  He's always ready to lend a hand, without fail, and steps in wherever needed.  His love of community is palpable and contagious.  He has a heart of gold, and "Olyville" would not be the same without him. Thanks for all you do John!

2016 Fiddle Pie Recipient
ANTHEA LAWRENCE
The Oly Old Time Festival is thrilled to present the first annual Fiddle Pie Award to local fiddler and music teacher, Anthea Lawrence.  Anthea has a huge role in sustaining and growing our beautiful, energetic, and inspiring music community.   She’s taught scores of adults as well as kids (multiple generations!) and has given much of her time and energy to creating opportunities for jamming, recitals, as well as participation in workshops and special events like the "All Volunteer Stringband".   Her influence has led people to participate in The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Wintergrass, Valley of the Moon, the Whidbey Island workshop, and many other life-changing experiences.  She's helped produce CDs, provides performance feedback and sits in with bands when that kind of support is needed.  She is a truly unique teacher:  one who can meet any student where they are, and inspire them to reach further.  Whether teaching a simple melody to a beginner, to exploring the world of harmonies and adventurous improvisation, (all the while infusing her lessons with solid music theory) Anthea brings a special knack for building relationships between her students, the music, and herself.  It's a beautiful thing!  We are grateful to Anthea for being an inspirational and skilled tradition bearer in our community!