What started as a simple request from an Arkansas legend led to Yellville’s Violet Hensley receiving 2311 cards for her 109th birthday.
Violet blows out candles surrounded by piles of birthday cards
Known as the “Whittling Fiddler” Mrs. Hensley had originally wished for 1000 cards but according to family volumes of card began to arrive from around the country and even the world. Violet’s daughter Lewonna Hensley Nelson says it took several weeks but every card was read aloud to the beloved Ozarks icon who loved hearing each one. Lewonna’s oldest sister, who herself will soon turn 90, enjoyed listening to the cards over the phone each night.
A card being read to the Whittling Fiddler
Cards came in from almost every state in the country including Hawaii and three from Alaska. The family reports one card came all the way from Scotland and another from Japan. They send their thanks to everyone who sent a card and encouraged others to do so.
Three mail carriers full of cards for Violet
Violet was in the hospital shortly in mid December but her daughter says she has been slowly improving since then.
She has enjoyed and is thankful for each and every card
Many remember Hensley from her decades at Silver Dollar City in Branson, where she began performing and demonstrating her craft of making fiddles in 1967. Her charisma and talent made her a fan favorite and earned her the park’s Living Treasure Award in 1997, followed by induction into its Hall of Fame.
Born near Mount Ida in 1916, Hensley began crafting fiddles at just 15 years old by studying her father’s handmade instruments. After raising nine children, she returned to fiddle-making in the 1960s, creating more than 60 instruments from native Arkansas woods.
Violet’s national recognition has included appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies, Captain Kangaroo, and Live with Regis and Kathy Lee, as well as induction into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2018.
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