Her father fiddled, her sister fiddled and then finally Beth Bressette fiddled at nearly 60 years old.
Bressette has been a volunteer and member of the B.C. Old Time Fiddlers Association for more than 25 years. Her mom and dad, Dave and Bess Bowman, were involved long before that.
"I was raised on the fiddle music and I loved it," Bressette said. "My dad bought his fiddle when he was 13 and he raised pigs on the farm and when he made $30 he had his dad take him to a second hand store in Edmonton and they found a fiddle there and that's the fiddle that I'm still playing."
Bressette remembers her dad playing around town in their early days in Prince George after the family moved here in 1950.
"He played at dances, for Old Time Fiddlers events and at seniors homes for about 60 years," Bressette said, who started her musical exploration on the accordion but it didn't resonate with her like the fiddle does now.
"I took up fiddle really late in life but I love it," Bressette said.
What took so long?
"I often question that but it seemed in those days girls weren't as often playing the fiddle so you were given options of piano or accordion and things like that," she said. "My sister, Heather, started later in life but she was about 30 when she started and she went on to teach many kids in Alberta."
It's been a huge part of Bressette's life for many years through family and the culture of music in her home growing up.
"It's an absolute joy to play especially at seniors' homes," Bressette said, who has been the secretary for the club for the last nine years. "People have requests and they sing along with the old songs that we always try to play because they know them so well."
Bressette remembers a 95-year-old singing all three verses of a song with microphone in hand.
"Seeing things like that is very rewarding," she added. "I learned that from my parents. They used to go all the time to seniors homes, my mom would dance with people in their wheelchairs and twirl them around while Dad would play."
The Fiddle Club is really great for providing a venue to play music with other people, she added.
"We learn tunes together as groups, we have a group lesson every week before our jam sessions and those are beginner and intermediate lessons and then we have all these tunes that we can go on stage and play together, so it's really a lot of fun," Bressette said of the weekly jam sessions held at the Elder Citizens Rec Centre at 1692 Tenth Ave. on Thursdays.
The Old Time Fiddlers participate in many community events and most recently took first prize in the May Day Parade for their float that saw fiddlers of all ages showcasing their talent as they made their way along the downtown route.
Currently, the fiddling club has 165 members and includes those who don't play but support the club and the $16 membership fee is quite manageable for most people.
"And there's always room for more members," Bressette said.
All ages are represented at the club, with more teens and youth needed to go up the ranks to keep the local group strong in number that started the BC Old Time Fiddlers' Association.
Prince George is Branch No. 1 and will celebrate its 50th year in 2018.
"The older fiddlers are passing on but the rest of us who are more in the middle are carrying on," Bressette said thoughtfully and then something occurred to her. "I guess I'm one of the old folks now!"
The really good fiddlers used to always be men, Bressette reflected.
"But there's lots of girls now," she added.
The club has changed some of its events over the years.
"Contests are becoming a thing of the past throughout B.C. and Alberta because people just aren't as keen on competing anymore and all the workers are getting older - and it's a lot of work," Bressette said. "So we decided when we let our contests go to start a jamboree, which would still be a two-day gathering and a chance for people to come together and learn new things."
This year's third annual jamboree will be held Friday and Saturday with all events taking place at St. Michael's Church, 1505 Fifth Ave. The event kicks off with a family dance Friday night at 7 p.m. There's workshops all day Saturday featuring all levels of fiddle, guitar and vocal taught by qualified instructors including members of Jackson Hollow, an award-winning bluegrass/country band who will perform a concert Saturday night from 7 to 9 p.m. with special guests Courtney Campbell, Chloe Nakahara and Maria Newton.
"The dance on Friday is a family dance so people will be learning new dance steps and making ice cream sundaes and it's just a fun time," Bressette said.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
"The gathering together of musicians during the jamborees is always fun."
For more information call Alex at 250-301-9849 or visit bcfiddlers.com/prince-george.
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