The youngest contestant to place this year was Ben Haguewood from Mineral Point, MO, a 14-year-old, home-school student. This was Haguewood’s first time competing at Winfield, a spot he earned by winning the Southern Regional hammer dulcimer competition earlier this year. He said that he was impressed by the number of people who play the mountain and hammer dulcimers at Winfield, as well as the variety of music. In his free time, he said he likes to hang out with friends and spend time with family – playing games and conversing.

A teenager from Wilkesboro, NC, took home second place in his first hammer dulcimer contest at Winfield. Benjamin Barker is a high school student who, thanks to dual enrollment opportunities, will graduate with an associate’s degree in business from Wilkes Community College in May, along with is high school degree. He plans to go to Berkley to study music and arrangement upon graduation. Barker is a student of Joshua Messick, who suggested that he enter the hammer dulcimer contest in Winfield this year. Barker has played piano since age five, and picked up the harp a couple of years ago.

Luke Lovejoy, a 16-year-old from Cloverdale, IN, outplayed all challengers to take home the first place trophy, a cash prize of $3,000 in memory of Brian Redford and the Collings Winfield Model Mahogany/Adirondack Spruce Guitar, provided by Collings Guitar, Inc., Austin, TX. The high school junior said he has been playing the guitar for four years, is self-taught and was shocked to make it to the finals at his first Walnut Valley Festival. Before Winfield, he had only played in a local guitar contest with five other contestants.

One of the youngest contestants to place this year was Maria McArthur, 16, who finished third in the fiddle contest. For her efforts she won a trophy and the E. Wilfer V60 Fiddle represented by the Beautiful Music Violin Shop of Lawrence, KS. McArthur is a home-school student from Tucson, AZ. She has been coming to the Walnut Valley Festival for four years, making it an annual tradition. She said she loves to participate in Andy May’s Acoustic Kids sessions and credits them with helping her to learn how to perform.