The Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts (FOWA) proudly presents Voyageur, the Six String Nation Guitar.
Built almost entirely of pieces of Canadian history, the guitar features a piece of Pierre Trudeau's canoe paddle, Paul Henderson's hockey stick, a tiny piece of Maurice "Rocket" Richard's first Stanley Cup ring and even a piece of the sacred golden spruce of Haida Gwaii.
Jowi Taylor, Doug Nicholson and Voyageur will be at FOWA where guests can have a photo taken with the guitar on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m. Photos will be taken in the Rockwood Lodge in Sechelt, on the festival site.
The history of the guitar goes back to 1995, the eve of the Quebec Referendum, when CBC Radio host Taylor was looking for a way to pull stories together from across the country in the spirit of national unity. With the help of luthier George Rizsanyi, he spent 10 years assembling 64 historically significant pieces of wood, bone and metal.
Since the guitar's debut on Parliament Hill on Canada Day in 2006, it has been passed from hand to hand across the country and held and played by more than 50,000 Canadians. Taylor's book Six String Nation, features stunning portraits by Nicholson and chronicles the conception, creation and adventures of this remarkable instrument.
Taylor will share the story of the guitar at the festival's closing night event on Sunday, Aug. 15, with CBC radio host Sheryl MacKay and local musicians Joe Stanton and The Rakish Angles. Tickets are available by calling the festival office at 604-885-9631.
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