ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — There has always been music coming from a neighborhood in a little corner of Englewood near Cherry Creek Reservoir.
"Our neighbor used to play the fiddle. I started out as a fiddle mom," said Linnea Kenney, pointing across the street.
But now Kenney is learning to play herself.
"I got hooked on the music because of my daughter Kaitlin. She liked it, I liked it. It's just fun music" she said. "We would go to contests and workshops. We went to Halletsville (Texas), and all these national contests."
So Kenney became President of the Colorado Old Time Fiddler’s Association and continues today as treasurer. She’s been part of the Colorado Fiddle Championships at the National Western Stock Show since day one. Her daughter Kaitlin competed in the very first contest.
But Kenney never played herself. Then, 13 years ago, Kaitlin disappeared while on a rafting trip with friends in the Grand Canyon. It was 4 months before they found her body.
"We lost Kaitlin. It will be 13 years [on] January 11 this coming Sunday. And today happens to be her birthday", Kenney said.
Kaitlin would have been 34 years old.
"I guess it was 5 years after we lost Kaitlin that I thought... I’m going to play", Kenney said.
She picked up Kaitlin’s fiddle and hasn’t put it down since.
The fiddle community is as tight as the strings on her instrument.
Just ask the current Colorado Fiddler's president, Erin Hass.
"It was so moving to know that she wanted to carry on the music in Kaitlin’s memory. That means so much to all of us."
The fiddle is connection to the music, to the fiddle community, and to Linnea's daughter.