ATHENS — When 74-year-old Joe Hood heard the Spur of the Moment Band picking bluegrass tunes at the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention, he sat down in a lawn chair and took off his tennis shoes.

He replaced those shoes with black slip-ons with taps on the soles. He dropped a green-painted square of wood on the sidewalk at Athens State University and began tapping out rhythms to the tunes.

While moving his feet heel to toe, Hood talked of being a buck dancer since he was a boy.

“My daddy was a good dancer, and we did it at home on the farm,” Hood, of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., said. “I just love doing it. I go all over the country. I’ve won seven national championships.”

The band members, also from Tennessee, hollered at Hood to, “Try it out to this one,” and played tunes at various speeds. While Hood shuffled his feet, his wife of 50 years sat in the shade with a book in her hands.

“I enjoy some of it, but going to these conventions is not really my thing,” Patti Hood said. “I don’t buck dance. I’m not coordinated enough.”

Indulging her husband’s hobby doesn’t bother Patti Hood, especially if she has a good book to read. Besides, her husband said the dancing keeps him fit.

“I’d say I am in good shape for my age,” Joe Hood said. “I’ll be 75 in November. I’m just a country boy who loves to dance.”

Bluegrass lovers may see Hood dancing Saturday, and the band jamming behind Founders Hall. Band members said they have played together about five years but have been “serious about it” for three years.

“We don’t compete,” said bass player Jackie Case. “We just love to jam.”

Gates open at 8 a.m., and jam sessions and competitions will go on throughout the day. The buck dancing competition starts at 2 p.m. in front of Brown Hall.

Fiddling in Athens

The 43rd annual Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention at Athens State University on Saturday: