Yellowknife (Jun 16/06) - Fiddles are fast becoming travel tickets for members of the Kole Crook Fiddlers.

On May 30, their musical talents gave five fiddlers from Fort Simpson and six from Wrigley the opportunity to perform at the opening ceremonies of the legislative assembly in Yellowknife.

The fiddlers were invited by MLA Kevin Menicoche.

Menicoche said he was impressed after seeing the young musicians perform in Fort Simpson for the Standing Committee of Accountability and Oversight in April.

He wanted the chance for the rest of the North to see them.

"It was my pleasure to be proud and show them off," Menicoche said.

For the fiddlers, the adventure started when they flew to Yellowknife on March 29 and stayed overnight at Capital Suites.

The next morning before the performance, the group had to make a side trip to Wal-Mart to buy white shirts for many of the fiddlers who had forgotten theirs, Lewis Beck who looks after the Kole Crook Fiddle Association in Wrigley, said.

Showtime came at noon when the fiddlers performed for the crowd gathered in the great hall of the legislative assembly. They played songs, including Liza Jane, Skittles, Rubber Dolly and Amazing Grace."It was a lot of fun," Beck said.

The 11 fiddlers were picked to attend because of their dedication. Some had been playing for awhile, but others were new to the instrument, Beck said.

"They were happy as anything and very excited to go," he said.

After their performance, the students sat in the spectator's gallery to watch the opening of the assembly.

A second chance to perform came at 3:30 p.m., when the fiddlers again played some of their favourite songs.

"The children did very well," Gerda Hazenberg who runs the fiddle club in Fort Simpson said.

The MLAs were very impressed, Hazenberg said.

Because the fiddlers in both communities practice the same songs and learn from the same teachers, their playing fits together seamlessly when they meet, she said.

Ernest Tsetso, one of the fiddlers, said he always thought playing the instrument would let him travel.

This was the first time Tsetso, 9, played somewhere so big, but he wasn't nervous.

"I felt proud," he said.

For Tsetso the best part was being in the assembly room of the legislative assembly. The flight over was also fun, but the plane was loud, he said.

Still basking in the glow from their trip, the fiddlers are already looking forward to new performance opportunities.