MISSOURI -- Junior Mariott, 59, of Marshfield, was crowned the winner at the Missouri State Fiddling Championship at the state fair this month. For him, it's another opportunity to keep one of Missouri's richest traditions alive.

Marriott took home the Open Division Fiddling Championship on August 17th in Sedalia at the fairgrounds. We'd like to tell you how many times he has won it, but not even Junior knows.

"I don't really know. I think I was 16 when I first won it. That was way back in the 80's. It's in the teens, I'm sure," Marriott says with a laugh. He says it's about more than winning a trophy or a plaque. "It means so little to me. The way it goes in a fiddle contest, is I play to beat myself. I try to do better than I did before. Everyone that I happened to beat has beaten me m

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