District 9 – Eastern Oregon - Oregon Oldtime Fiddlers' Association

Welcome to District 9, OOTFA’s outpost in the wide-open spaces of Eastern Oregon! Our district covers the largest geographic area of any OOTFA district — from Burns and the Harney Basin, through the Blue Mountains and John Day country, across to Ontario on the Idaho border, up to Baker City and the Wallowa Mountains, and north to the Pendleton area.

About Our District

Eastern Oregon is ranching country, mountain country, and canyon country. It’s a land of enormous distances and small, tight-knit communities. The towns of District 9 — Burns, John Day, Ontario, Baker City, Pendleton, La Grande, Enterprise — may be separated by hours of driving across sagebrush and mountain passes, but they’re connected by a shared love of oldtime music and the Western way of life.

This is the Oregon that most people never see — a place where the stars are impossibly bright, the rivers run clear and cold through deep canyons, and neighbors still help each other during haying season. District 9 musicians carry on a tradition of fiddle music that’s been part of Eastern Oregon ranch life for well over a century.

What Makes Us Special

When District 9 members gather for a jam, people drive serious distances to get there — and that tells you everything you need to know about how much this music means to folks out here. Our second-Saturday jams are a chance to reconnect with friends, share tunes, and keep the tradition alive in a part of Oregon where community gatherings are cherished events.

The music of District 9 reflects the cowboy and ranching heritage of Eastern Oregon. Many of our tunes have been passed down through families for generations, played at ranch house dances and community halls across the high desert and mountain valleys.

If you’re traveling through Eastern Oregon — maybe headed to the Pendleton Round-Up, exploring the Painted Hills, or driving the scenic route through the Wallowas — keep an eye out for a District 9 event. We’d love to welcome you with a tune and a smile.