Traditional fiddling to headline Mokane World's Fair

Jake Hockemeyer, a southpaw fiddler from Callaway County, was known for his driving hoedowns.
Jake Hockemeyer, a southpaw fiddler from Callaway County, was known for his driving hoedowns.

Fiddlers from all over the country are rosining up their bows to play their fiddles hard in Mokane this weekend.
Jim Buffington, one of the organizers of the Mokane World's Fair, said the fiddling contest, in the memory of legendary Mokane fiddler Jake Hockemeyer, has been around as long as he can remember.
"It goes back to being almost as old as the festival itself," he said. "I'm guessing the first one was in the 1950s."
The contest, said Buffington, is broken into three divisions: 14-years-old and younger, 14-60 years old, and the recently added senior division, consisting of contestants 60 years and older. Each contestant will have the opportunity to perform three songs.
"They play a hoedown, waltz and one of their choice," he said. "They all have to be old-time songs. We're trying to conserve the old time fiddle tradition."
During their performance, fiddlers are judged on their tone, execution and overall old-time fiddle style. Winners are given a trophy and cash prizes. The contest draws people from near and far, Buffington said.
"We have fiddlers that come from all over," he added. "Mexico, Eldon and as far as Texas and Pennsylvania. There are entire families that perform and help keep the tradition alive. The fiddle contest helps them do that."
The fiddling contest will be on the last day of the three-day event put on by the Mokane Lions Club. The event, officially named the Labor Day Weekend Fall Festival, is referred to as the Mokane World Fair, said Terry Howard, member of the Mokane Lions Club.
"This is the Little Mokane's World Fair," he said. "It's been called the World Fair for I don't know how long."
The name, which was unintentionally given by a radio DJ, has its own interesting back story, Howard said.
"He just got on the radio and started calling it the Mokane's World Fair," he said. "Now, that's what we call it."
Howard said funds raised by the Lions Club from events are used to help those in need. In the past, the Mokane Lions have donated money to provide glasses and eye exams for the needy. They have also done lots of work to help fire victims get back on their feet.
In addition to fiddling, visitors can enjoy a tractor pull, live bands, softball games and other various events.
"As for most popular, the fiddling contest is a good one," Howard said. "Another one of the most popular events is the demolition derby."
The food, Howard said, is also worth the trip to the riverside community.
"We're known for mutton," he said. "We also have hamburgers, beef and hot dogs."
The fair has risen in popularity over the years, and even draws visitors from other areas of the country. Howard said he hopes everybody can get the chance to come visit the World's Fair.
"Come on down," he said. "We have people come to the festival from out of state, just to socialize."
The World Fair will take place Friday through Sunday. Registration for the fiddle contest will be Sunday. People interested in participating need to show up at the Lions Park in Mokane between 2 and 3 p.m. to register.
About Hockemeyer
Albert "Jake" Hockemeyer, born in 1919 in the Readsville community of southeastern Callaway County, was a state champion hornpipe fiddler. He lived most of his life in Mokane, west of Readsville, and worked as a school custodian and bus driver.
Rick Hockemeyer, his son, still lives in Mokane and operates the Mokane Market with his wife.
"My dad, Jake Hockemeyer, was one of the two people out of the central U.S. referred to as a master fiddler," he said. "The contest is in his honor."
The traditional fiddle music of mid Missouri, Hockemeyer said, differs from fiddle music of other regions.
"That's what my dad played," he added. "He didn't play all that hopped up stuff. He played what was played in the central U.S. This contest is trying to capture that."
According to historian Howard Marshall who wrote about Hockemeyer in 2007, Mokane is in the southern edge of central Missouri's "Little Dixie," a region rich in fiddle history and lore. Hockemeyer was often called "the fiddling Dutchman," as his roots came from German-speaking settlers of Missouri.
Marshall wrote Hockemeyer's uncle game him his first violin at the age of 10, and he learned to play by ear. He was state champion in 1983 and 1986 and won countless local and regional contests.
Plagued later in life by arthritis and then Alzheimer's disease, the fiddling contest in Mokane he helped organize became named for Hockemeyer before his death in 1997, at the age of 77. To read more and hear snippets of his playing, go to mofiddledance.org/profiles/jake-hockemeyer.