Striking a universal cord

A two-day event that will feature music at four venues, a variety of vendors and plenty of activities for children is quite the undertaking.

But the caveat that all of the festivities will cost exactly nothing? Indeed, there is no reason not to attend the Robbinsville Tourism Authority’s inaugural Cigar Box Guitar Festival, which is scheduled for Friday evening and most of Saturday.

At the tourism authority’s board meeting May 31, Chairwoman Debbie Beasley laid out the plans for the event in great detail. The festival begins Friday evening, with cigar box acts performing at three different locations in Graham County:

* Tapoco Lodge: William N Cece Breedlove, 6 p.m.;

* Fontana Village Resort’s Wildwood Grill: Brett Gardner and the Cigar Box Serenaders, 7 p.m.;

* Robbinsville’s Music on the Square: John Nickel (8 p.m.).

Saturday will bring all the talent under one roof – the Robbinsville High School Theater, 301 Sweetwater Road. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., a mixture of arts and crafts vendors will be set-up, with food vendors stationed outside the entrance to the facility throughout the day as well.

Indoor stops will include a leather-bracelet crafter; a knife-smith; a booth with Satterfield’s Briarpatch, which that will detail the history of azaleas; and the “Zippy Safari,” remote-controlled animals that children can ride for five minutes.

To appease the appetites, barbecue, hot dogs, Indian tacos, snow cones, cotton candy and food from Chubby Chicks will be for sale.

Dulcet tones will begin to fill the air at noon inside the theater, with the following acts scheduled to play:

* Men without Memories, noon;

* Steve Arvey, 1 p.m.;

* The Cigar Box Serenaders, 2 p.m.;

* Fenton Sparrow, 3 p.m.;

* John Mary Go Round, 4 p.m.

Again, the event is free to attend and enjoy. Donations for local veterans will be accepted at the entrance to the theater.

Additionally, “canjos” – literally built from a can, a stick and one string, tuned to play in different chords – will be on-hand for musicians of all ages to enjoy. Wendell McCray, Charlie Riddle and Willie Riddle will be helping build the instruments, and McCray is scheduled to provide brief lessons on how to play the canjo.

The first 20 people who send the Robbinsville 

Tourism Authority a private message on Facebook can register their child to both make a guitar and receive lessons.

“It’s all about the people spending the night here and helping Robbinsville’s tourism,” board member Mark Ferguson said. “I want people to know that to come, it’s not going to cost you anything. Come enjoy the day. Bring your family and have fun.”

Commemorative T-shirts will be on sale as well.

Beasley also credited Graham County Travel & Tourism for helping fund the effort, to the tune of $12,500.

Cigar box guitars

With roots dating back as far as the mid-1800s, cigar box guitars have went through plenty of peaks and valleys in terms of popularity.

The self-made instruments began trending once again in the early 2000s due to the low-cost nature of their construction. A cigar box itself serves as the resonator, but the selection of strings drops from the standard five to three.

The strings typically connect to either a broomstick or wooden slat.

“It’s going to be different,” Beasley said. “We’ve got rockabilly, we’ve got Jimmy Buffett, the ‘60s and the blues.”

Other events

Beasley also mapped out tentative dates for authority-backed events for the remainder of the calendar year, which are:

* Graham County Heritage Festival: Monday and Tuesday, July 3-4, in downtown Robbinsville;

* Lace, Grace and Gears Rally for Women (charity motorcycle ride): Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 24-27;

* Robbinsville Shriners Car Show: Saturday, Sept. 9, at Robbinsville High School (could be combined with Spanish Heritage Celebration inside the school);

* JeepFest: Saturday, Oct. 14, at Robbinsville High School;

* Trunk-or-Treat: Tuesday, Oct. 31, downtown Robbinsville;

* Veterans’ Day Wreath Ceremony: Friday, Nov. 10, at the Junaluska Memorial;

* Robbinsville Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony: Saturday, Dec. 2;

* Robbinsville Christmas Parade: Saturday, Dec. 9.