and haven't seen him in forever. i used to hang in bushnell park for the 'be ins' and the fiddle contest/festival. i loved the peace train. paul was special to hartford. he will be misse
thank you paul for the good times you gave me and THOUSANDS of others
Fiddle Contest Organizer Paul LeMay Dies
By WILLIAM WEIR | The Hartford Courant
With little more than charisma and force of will, Paul LeMay managed to turn an improbable idea into a Hartford phenomenon, bringing tens of thousands to the city for an annual fiddle contest.
LeMay died Friday of heart failure from complications of other illnesses. He was 65.
He started the New England Fiddle Contest in 1974, the same year he founded the grassroots arts organization, Peace Train Foundation. The first year featured a few dozen amateur fiddlers at Bushnell Park and an audience of about 1,000. Within a few years, the event would attract tens of thousands to the city; at the height of its popularity, 70,000 came for the fiddle contest.
"He really wanted Hartford to be a viable and happy place to be," said Cheryl Daniels, his partner of 30 years. "People would be able to see each other and be with each other and he would bring people together."..........
picture 2)Paul LeMay is photographed at the Riverfront Plaza dock, site of the 2002 New England Fiddle Contest. LeMay is the founder of the Peace Train Foundation and is the integral leader in bringing the fiddle contest to Hartford. (THOMAS CORDY / HARTFORD COURANT / August 13, 2002)
picture 1) Paul LeMay
(COURANT FILE PHOTO / May 13, 1974)
Paul LeMay of South Windsor stands by his renovated bus called "Peacetrain" in 1974.
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