BNSF employee enjoying family of fiddlers’ musical journey
By SUSAN GREEN
Staff writer
Locomotive engineer Anthony Huguenin tried and tried to learn to play the fiddle, practicing at every opportunity. But the fiddle remained elusive.
“I just couldn’t pick it up,” he said, noting that the instrument doesn’t have frets like guitars do. “My wife, Carolyn, has long been a fiddler and her family too. She got our kids into it, so I wanted to participate as well. When I couldn’t master the fiddle, she taught me to play acoustic guitar.”
Fiddle playing runs deep in the family. His wife’s grandparents were board members that started a fiddle contest in 1969, and she’s the third generation to continue running it. He’s the organization’s treasurer. The Northwest Regional Fiddle Contest is held annually in Spokane, Washington, not far from the family’s northern Idaho home. The contest is run on donations and sponsorship.
Today, all four of their children, Leah, Helen, Jayne and Clark, are accomplished fiddlers and frequently compete. Leah, 16, won the 2024 regional contest for her age category and went on to compete in the National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest, held in Weiser, Idaho, in June.
“It’s one of the highlights of the year for us,” Anthony Huguenin said of the Weiser contest, which draws competitors from across the country and beyond. “The kids really look forward to it.”
Leah and Helen, 12, both made it into the Top 12 at this year’s national contest.
During this and other contests, Anthony Huguenin’s guitar playing gives him a chance to be on stage with the kids, playing backup while they play fiddle.
“We really enjoy our jam sessions,” he said.
“The contests are really special,” Carolyn Huguenin said. “You can have a four-year-old or a 94-year-old playing the fiddle. The fiddle community is very tightknit, and we’ve made lifelong friends. There are very few hobbies that bring multiple generations together.”
Music permeates the Huguenin household. In addition to several fiddles, there are acoustic guitars, and upright bass, mandolins and a piano in the living room. The family also plays frequently at nursing homes for senior citizens.
“We want to perpetuate the old-time tunes,” Anthony Huguenin said. “Carolyn and I often wonder and worry about what might happen to fiddle music. We want to keep it going and alive for generations to come.”
Did You Know?
The 55th Northwest Regional Fiddle Contest will be held April 12-13, 2025, in Spokane Valley, Washington. This contest is one of the largest of its kind in the area and is open to fiddlers from all states. Some of the top national fiddlers, as well as many state and regional champions, will be competing in the eight certified fiddle divisions at this two-day affair.
