For the 29th year, the Lindbergh Fiddlers made their way to West Lafayette, Indiana, to perform at the annual Feast of the Hunters’ Moon festival. The group consisted of approximately 30 middle and high school students, dressed in their best colonial gear and performing with fiddles.
“These older students are sharing tunes they know with the younger kids,” Lindbergh Schools orchestra teacher Stephen Ahrens said. “Some of those kids that played have only been doing this since the start of the school year, and then you have those kids who are high school seniors, who have done this every year. (…) That’s fun to see — that growth.”
When Ahrens describes the festival to his students, he calls it “a renaissance faire meets the Revolutionary War.” The festival grounds have tents selling various goods and entertainers dressed in colonial clothing. There were a handful of performance areas scattered throughout the venue, and the Lindbergh Fiddlers took the stage on both Saturday and Sunday morning.
The group performed music “belonging to the traditional American fiddle repertoire,” Ahrens says, including Appalachian music and some British or Celtic tunes. He says the Lindbergh Fiddlers “always attract a good-sized crowd” — especially since attendees of the festival recognize their group after nearly three decades of performing.
“Music means a lot to people,” Ahrens said. “It helps bring people together; it helps connect them. We smile at the audience, we build a connection there. We try to get the audience engaged. It’s always great, especially when the audience really buys into it.”
In addition to the performances at the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, the Lindbergh students — ranging in age from sixth graders to high school seniors — got the chance to play for a Memory Care Unit in a local retirement home on Saturday night. They ended the evening with a pizza party.
Ahrens is a Lindbergh alumnus. During his time as a student, he also performed at the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon — he says it was “surreal” to be on the other side of the trip as a director, leading the group for the first time.
“I try to keep as close to the tradition as possible. The pizza, all that stuff — that’s the way it’s always been,” Ahrens said. “Knowing how impactful these experiences can be for kids — personally knowing how that is — it feels so good to be with kids having that experience, too.”
Ahrens added, “One of the biggest things, with this being my first year, was the baton pass. We did it. We didn’t drop it. We kept the momentum going.”
