The 45th annual Kansas State Fiddling and Picking Championships will bring acoustic music, competitions and a Grammy-winning performer to South Park in Lawrence.
Known locally as FidPick, the free event will run from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. It will feature eight competitions, food and beverage vendors, art vendors, family activities and jam circles.
Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs, as well as instruments for jam sessions.
The north stage, called Doug DuBois Harmony Stage, will host the youth and open fiddle competition at noon, followed by the first round of the state string band competition at 1:15 p.m. and the final round at 3:15 p.m.
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Grammy-winning musician Dom Flemons will perform at 3:30 p.m. Flemons, a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, is known as “The American Songster.” His repertoire spans country, folk, bluegrass, Americana and blues.
Seven groups are registered for the string band competition: Catgut, Jeannie & Tal Band, Primrose Junction, Rudy and the Lost Boys, Tequa, The Lost Keys and The Third Kansas Cavalry Unit.
Individual contests on the south stage begin at 12:30 p.m. with the miscellaneous acoustic competition. The banjo, mandolin, and fingerstyle guitar and flat pick guitar contests will follow at half-hour intervals starting at 1 p.m.
Contest times are approximate because they depend on the number of contestants. Performers should check in with the south stage manager at least an hour before their contest is set to begin.
Food and beverage vendors include Barbwire BBQ, Echo City Kettle Corn, Free State Beer, JB’s Cali Fusion, KC Corn Dog, The Pretzelly Truck, Rainbow Ice and The Street Kitchin. Art and other vendors include Keith Nowland Ceramics, Fertello Jewelry, Illuminessence Organics, Duffy’s Delites Soap Farm, b.e. nurtured, Valen Ferri Jewelry, Andante Home and Outlaw Jewelry.
Winners of each competition will receive cash prizes, and the Kansas State String Band of the Year will have the opportunity to perform at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield in September.
If inclement weather is expected, the contests and featured artist performance will move inside the Granada and Lucia. Vendors and activities will not be included at the indoor locations.
More information available at fidpick.org.
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Courtney Lane (she/her), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2026. She can be reached at [email protected].
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