GALAX, Va. — Known as the “oldest and largest in the world,” the Old Fiddler’s Convention in Galax kept its reputation alive as the gates flooded with visitors from near and far.

Sponsored by the Galax Moose Lodge 733, the week-long festival drew in more than 40,000 visitors this year, according to Governor of the Lodge Bill Beasley.

“We started setting up last Friday, and people started arriving on Sunday,” Beasley said. The festival didn’t officially start until Aug. 3.

“We have them here from all over. The ones that came from the farthest away were from Greece and Australia. We had some from Canada. And then we had some as close as from right here in Virginia and many came from North Carolina,” he said as he pointed to a group in the program from Pilot Mountain.

He said this year, one family stood out to him.

“We had the Wright family here. They came in fifth on ‘America’s Got Talent.’ The little girl was only this tall,” he said holding his hand about two-and-a-half feet off the ground.

The Moose Lodge is responsible for setting up the park every year for the convention.

“This is a lot of work. But we have a lot of fun doing it,” Beasley said.

Susan May Tell traveled to the festival from New York. She said she came to the festival many years ago with a boyfriend and had a great time and wanted to return. She was afraid that things would have changed and it would have a more “Disney” type feel to it.

She was happily surprised.

“It has stayed the same, it’s just how I remember it. I love folk music. I love fiddle music. This music is so beautiful,” Tell said.

Tell was visiting the festival with a girlfriend, Christine Palamidessi Moore, who wrote a novel entitled, “The Fiddle Case.”

Tom Jones, the man in charge of publicity for the festival, said more than 1,900 musicians signed up for competition this year.

The American Standard Band waited its turn in line to play for the judges Saturday night. The group is made up of Nancy Evans on fiddle; Rick Evans on guitar; Gary Dunn on bass; John Powell on banjo; Burt Behnson on fiddle; and Chris Hamel on guitar. The group from Advance, N.C., has been playing together for about six years. The band members planned to play the song “Roanoke” for the crowd Saturday and the song “Sugarhill” on Sunday night. Some of the members have been coming to the convention since 2000.

The winners were to be announced in the wee hours this morning at the festival.

Check for the results in Monday’s edition of The Mount Airy News.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.