Charlie Poole Festival

08/25/2026

A bright light gone from our world.

06/21/2026

One of the many incredible performances at this year’s Charlie Poole Festival!

06/21/2026

The most coveted prize at the Charlie Poole Festival is Grand Champion Banjo - Charlie Poole 3-Finger Style. The winner in this competition walks away with an impressive rosette, bragging rights, and $1,000 in cash. To help all our banjo players out there prepare for next year, here’s this year’s winning performance from Grayson McGuire.

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

It was a hot day of music at the 2026 Charlie Poole Festival Adult Competitions - both in weather and talent. Talent of all ages came from around the region to share their music and try for a coveted ribbon and some healthy cash prizes. Special thanks go out to our hard-working emcee for the day - Dale Morris - he kept us on schedule and informed throughout the day. The list of winners who prevailed is as follows:

Solo Vocal:
1st - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 2nd - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 3rd - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC); 4th - Bekah Santis (Mocksville, NC); 5th - Vince Parker (Madison, NC)

Duet Vocal:
1st - Bekah Santis (Mocksville, NC) & Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC)
2nd - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC) & Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC)
3rd - Cora Ellis (Madison, NC) & Vince Parker (Madison, NC)

Folk Song
1st - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 2nd - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 3rd - Caleb Grindstaff (Burnsville, NC); 4th - Bill Mansfield (Winston-Salem, NC); 5th - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC)

Charlie Poole Song
1st - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 2nd - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 3rd - Bill Mansfield (Winston-Salem, NC); 4th - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC); 5th - Brian Blackwood (Youngsville, NC)

Open Instrument
1st - Brian Blackwood (Youngsville, NC); 2nd - Sam Harris (Raleigh, NC); 3rd - A.J. Dean (Madison, NC); 4th - Isaac Connell (Knightdale, NC); 5th - Bill Mansfield (Winston-Salem, NC)

Finger Style Guitar
1st - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 2nd - Evan Dean (Madison, NC); 3rd - Isaac Connell (Knightdale, NC); 4th - Bekah Santis (Mocksville, NC); 5th - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC)

Flat Pick Guitar
1st - Chase Arden (Asheville, NC); 2nd - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 3rd - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC); 4th - Jackson Chester (Eden, NC)

Bluegrass Fiddle
1st - Nathan Vargo (Weaverville, NC); 2nd - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC); 3rd - Bekah Santis (Mocksville, NC); 4th - Brian Blackwood (Youngsville, NC); 5th - Jackson Chester (Madison, NC)

Old Time Fiddle
1st - Nathan Vargo (Weaverville, NC); 2nd - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 3rd - Bekah Santis (Mocksville, NC); 4th - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 5th - Sam Harris (Raleigh, NC)

Bluegrass Banjo
1st - Greyson Leybourne (Kernersville, NC); 2nd - Jamie Holt (Pippa Passes, KY); 3rd - Brian Blackwood (Youngsville, NC); 4th - Chase Arden (Asheville, NC); 5th - Sam Harris (Raleigh, NC)

Clawhammer Banjo
1st - Robbie Herman (Taylorsville, NC); 2nd - Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC); 3rd - Nathan Vargo (Weaverville, NC); 4th - Sam Harris (Raleigh, NC); 5th - Chase Arden (Asheville, NC)

Bluegrass Band
1st - Rippin' Britches (Kernersville, NC)
2nd - Three Top Serenaders (Taylorsville, NC)
3rd - The New Red Fox Chasers (Raleigh, NC)
4th - Crawdaddy & The Mudpuppies (Reidsville, NC)

Old Time Band
1st - Carolina Mockingbirds (Winston-Salem, NC)
2nd - The New Red Fox Chasers (Raleigh, NC)
3rd - Rippin' Britches (Kernersville, NC)
4th - Crawdaddy & The Mudpuppies (Reidsville, NC)

GRAND CHAMPION BANJO (Charlie Poole 3-Finger Style)
Grayson McGuire (Todd, NC)

06/18/2026

The Youth Contests at the 2026 Charlie Poole Festival were filled with excitement as these talented young musicians took the stage, many for the very first time! We owe a big thank you to our emcee for Friday's competition - Rennie Salata, along with our registration team of Lauren Sims-Salata and Linda Nye, who kept us on schedule despite the blistering heat. Beautiful photos are provided by Gordon Allen. A complete list of winners is as follows:

Solo Vocal: 1st - Sarah Walls (Vale, NC); 2nd - Harley Shreve (Stoneville, NC); 3rd - Jackson Chester (Eden, NC); 4th - Cora Ellis (Madison, NC); 5th - Nora Robertson (Eden, NC)

Duet Vocal: 1st - Corban Walls & Sarah Walls (Vale, NC); 2nd - Lydia Walls & Silas Walls (Vale, NC); 3rd - Harley Shreve (Stoneville, NC) & Cora Ellis (Madison, NC); 4th - Zoey Kinlaw & Nora Robertson (Eden, NC); 5th - Jackson Chester & Ryker Flynn (Eden, NC)

Open Instrument: 1st - Sarah Walls (Vale, NC); 2nd - Corban Walls (Vale, NC); 3rd - A.J. Dean (Madison, NC); 4th - Harley Shreve (Stoneville, NC); 5th - Tobias Conkle (Eden, NC)

Guitar: 1st - Corban Walls (Vale, NC); 2nd - A.J. Dean (Madison, NC); 3rd - Cora Ellis (Madison, NC); 4th - Harley Shreve (Stoneville, NC); 5th - Jackson Chester (Eden, NC)

Fiddle: 1st - Lydia Walls (Vale, NC); 2nd - Audrey Nappier (Reidsville, NC); 3rd - Ryker Flynn (Eden, NC); 4th - Che Denman (Stoneville, NC); 5th - Braxton Richardson (Eden, NC)

Banjo: 1st - Jackson Gunter (Ruffin, NC); 2nd - Silas Walls (Vale, NC); 3rd - Sarah Walls (Vale, NC); Tobias Conkle (Eden, NC)

Band: 1st - 4 Walls Bluegrass (Sarah Walls, Silas Walls, Lydia Walls, & Corban Walls)
2nd - Agree to Disagree (Cora Ellis, Audrey Nappier, Ryker Flynn, & Jackson Gunter)
3rd - The Poole Players (A.J. Dean, Harley Shreve, Tobias Conkle, & Jackson Chester)