National Hollerin' Contest
The National Hollerin' Contest, first held in 1969, is an annual competition held in Spivey's Corner, North Carolina.
The contest, formerly held on the third Saturday in June, was inaugurated to revive the almost-lost art of "hollerin'", a sophisticated vocal tradition that served as a means of long-distance communication between individuals as well as an amusing form of entertainment, before the widespread adoption of the telephone. The proceedes from the event were, and continue to be, donated to the Spivey's Corner Volunteer Fire Department.
Contestants from the contest have appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and the Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2013 the National Hollerin' Contest became part of the Hollerin' Heritage Festival. The festival is held annually on the second Saturday in September on the property of the Spivey's Corner Volunteer Fire department.
External links
- National Hollerin'Contest: The National Hollerin' Contest Official Website
- ibiblio: The National Hollerin' Contest
- ibiblio: The Lost Art of Hollerin' (with audio examples)
- NPR report: Audio Postcard: The National Hollerin' Contest (links to audio report)
- Catawba College: The Almost Lost Folk Art of Spivey’s Corner Hollerin’