Enthusiasts filled Maple Hall for Guitar Festival last weekend

Hundreds of eager musicians, collectors and admirers shuffled through Maple Hall last weekend, May 13-15, taking part in the fourth annual La Conner Guitar Festival. Their eyes sparkled as they browsed and tested the handcrafted stringed instruments on display.

Ticketholders had a full itinerary of activities to choose from throughout the weekend. They started off their mornings perusing the instruments displayed on the tables of the over 50 luthiers and vendors that filled the first floor hall and meeting room, stopping to admire the craftsmanship and engage the instrument makers in conversation. Each row of tables in the hall had at least 30 guitars and other stringed instruments on display. Festival director Brent McElroy’s own luthier business, McElroy Guitars, occupied a table.

“The luthiers and vendors came from all over the world,” McElroy said.

He explained that the bulk of attendees come from a 100-mile radius of La Conner, but online ticket sales show that up to 15% of them fly in from elsewhere.

Over 1,800 tickets were sold, over 400 more than 2019, McElroy said.

Strolling, strumming in town

Mini concerts were held continuously from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of Maple Hall throughout the festival. Participants could walk up the street to the Civic Garden Club and attend workshops focusing on performance, fingerstyle playing and chord building, taught by professional musicians, including Matt Thomas, Peter Janson, Tim Lerch, Jamie Findlay and Dustin Furlow.

After having lunch and listening to short sets performed by artists at the Waterfront Café, guitar enthusiasts could walk a block down First Street for happy hour at the La Conner Seafood and Prime Rib House for a more intimate performance by Grammy award-winning guitar virtuoso Mark Hanson.

In the evening, the audience listened to musicians Tim Farrell and Paul Asbell perform with special guest Sean McGowan at the garden club. Many ended the night at Santo Coyote for their after-hour cabaret.

This is the first festival without originating director Shirley Makela. She died unexpectedly in January 2021. McElroy said Makela had laid out the festival in a format that was easy for everyone to follow, even down to the smallest details.

“It couldn’t have gone any smoother!” McElroy exclaimed. “I think the entire staff was working extra hard to make the show a success to honor Shirley.”