Guitar Festival brought luthiers to La Conner

La Conner is a cool place with its incredible dining, magic Skagit views and small town charm. It is no wonder a Guitar Festival has been added to the list of things to do. In mid-May, Maple Hall becomes home to some of the finest handcrafted and carefully sourced guitars one could imagine. "They're almost like living things" says John Carrigan of Curly Creek Guitars. "I know my child is out there and it wants to be played." Carrigan specializes in Archtop guitars, a passion he developed as a skilled furniture builder turned guitarist. "It is a hobby that pays for itself" says Carrigan. He is one of many luthiers – stringed musical instrument builders – who came out to the Pacific Northwest for this show.

Brent McElroy and his late wife, Shirley Makela, started the festival in 2017. McElroy, a luthier, was a regular attendee of guitar shows across the continent, traveling to New York City, Montreal, Buck City and Rhode Island. The couple would pack up their Sprinter RV with guitars and go on adventures. because it is much more fun that way.

When Makela retired they settled in La Conner, "the cutest of all of the towns" says McElroy. "It smells like salt water. When the tide's out, that's the best smell," he says with a grin. Makela used her business sense from the corporate world along with her guitar festival experience to dream up one of her own. "She had a good sense of what worked and what didn't. La Conner has a rich musical past which reminded her of Woodstock, the little hippie town outside of Manhattan. That gave Shirley the idea" said McElroy.

Opportunity arose after a popular guitar show in Healdsburg, California called it quits. Luthier supply shows invite luthiers, provide a party and bring in the public. It was the "gold standard of guitar shows," as McElroy puts it, and when it ended it "left a huge hole in the West Coast." Woodstock has the Bearsville Theater with an open floor, stage and balcony. When Makela and McElroy toured Maple Hall, they thought it bore an uncanny resemblance. The couple worked together to organize and build the show, including the logo, which is a beautiful picture of the rainbow bridge with a guitar overlayed on top.

Once the word was out, people traveled from all over the country and even the world, to showcase their handmade guitars. The first year seven luthiers attended from Europe. This year there were only two, from Spain and Italy. There was a two-year hiatus in the festival during the pandemic, as well as Makela's surprise death in 2021.

What the couple built together has now become a world class show that "put La Conner on the guitar maker's map" according to McElroy.

Walking around Maple Hall in the midst of the event invites your ears to hear the perfectly tuned guitars being happily strung by interested buyers. "It is a perfect way to get your name out there and it gives people a chance to actually play your guitars" says McElroy. Nearly 50 luthiers were vendors with guitars on display along with guitar part suppliers, expert panels and song circles.

Outside of Maple Hall were multiple pop-up concerts for listeners to enjoy. Andre Feriante (andreferiante.com), an Italian born, flamenco inspired guitarist put on an incredible show at Skagit Cellars. The packed house was mesmerized by the titillating sound of rhythmic guitar moving throughout the room. It was a display of finger picking madness as Feriante played original tunes, along with some Beatles adaptations. His music touches the gamut of emotion, from fast and happy, to deep and longing.

In the back of the room stood Craig Wilson of White Salmon Guitar Co. He is making Feriante's future guitar. They met at the Guitar Festival last year where the deal was made. Wilson was watching the performance in order to "capture the sound and aesthetic" of Feriante, whose guitar will be based on the work of Antonio de Torres, the father of the modern guitar. It can take 300 hours to build a guitar by hand, Wilson estimated.

The price tag for one of these handcrafted masterpieces ranges from $8,000 to $30,000 or more. It is not for the faint of heart or the casual bystander. This is a work of art to be enjoyed by an artist who can understand the difference in sound, quality, touch and feel.

And for all the regular people out there, you're invited to listen and learn at next year's La Conner Guitar Festival at laconnerguitarfestival.com.