General Butler State Resort in Carrollton will host the first-ever Cigar Box Guitar Festival on Saturday, May 15.

    Cigar box guitar? Yes, the humble little cigar box has been used to make music for generations. Legendary guitarists like Carl Perkins and Jimi Hendrix often didn’t begin learning their trade on store-bought, handcrafted guitars made from the finest woods. They improvised with materials on hand. A cigar box, a scrap of wood, a few nails and some wire and music was born.

    Come see leading blues, country and folk musicians make wonderful music with home made instruments in a marathon concert last from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. Scheduled performers will include Rollie Tussing, voted the 2001 slide guitarist of the year; country blues artist Cigar Box Slim; and Glen Faulkner, master of the one-stringed instrument called the diddley bow.

    General admission is $10 for adults, $2 for children. Visitors also can delve more deeply into homemade music by attending a series of workshops scheduled for Friday and Saturday. They include live, hands-on instruction on how to build a cigar box guitar. A registration fee of $50 covers all workshops.

More information may be obtained by contacting the park at  (502) 732-4384 or visiting the festival web site at http://www.cigarboxguitars.com/

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