A great tradition returns to Lawrence this month. KLWN’s Jill nado has that.

The state fiddling and picking championship comes to Lawrence the weekend of August 27th and 28th. It’s the 31st annual contest…featuring eight competitions in finger and flat picking guitar, banjo, mandolin, open fiddle, youth fiddle, ensemble folk singing, and miscellaneous acoustic instruments. A kick-off potluck and jam session will be held Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. at Americana Music Academy. The competitions are on Sunday at South Park on Massachusetts Street…there’s also going to be four concerts during the day on Sunday, featuring the likes of these players-- Billy Spears and the Beer Bellies. All events are free, but goodwill donations are welcomed.