Fiddlin' around downtown with concert, festival

Oct. 23—The legacy of the "King of Western Swing" returns to downtown Greenville next weekend, during the seventh annual Bob Wills Fiddle Festival and Contest.

Al of the events Friday and during the day Saturday will be free and occurring outdoors. Tickets are on sale for the the headliners for this year's event, Ben and Noel Haggard, who will be presenting a tribute to Merle Haggard during a Saturday night concert scheduled at Greenville Municipal Auditorium. Special guests include Bob Wills Texas Playboys under the direction of Jason Roberts.

Tickets for $36 to $56 start at 8:30 a.m. Monday exclusively online at www.showtimeatthegma.com, at www.bobwillsfest.com, by calling 903-457-3126 or in person at the box office at 2821 Washington Street.

—The "Big Ball In G-Town Dinner and Street Dance" is scheduled starting at 6 p.m. Friday at the Farmers Market, 2203 Lee Street. The event is free to the public, but there will be reserved seating for sponsors only.

—The Fiddle Showcase is scheduled starting starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. The outdoor stage on Lee Street will be presenting performances by the Western Flyers with Redd Volkaert, the Women Of Western Swing, the Redd Volkaert Band and the Dave Alexander Texas Swing Band, while the Texas Steel Men will be performing at the Empty Glass Saloon with free admission.

The Fiddle Showcase will start at 1 p.m. Saturday next door to the Texan Theater,

Wills was inducted into the County Music Hall of Fame in 1968, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, for his significant contributions to American music from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Additional information is available at www.bobwillsfiddlefest.com