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Bashaw welcomes unique Canadian guitar

With countless stories about Canadian life and history, a unique guitar from the Six String Nation made a stop
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Jowi Taylor of Six String Nation shows off his Canadian-made guitar Friday in Bashaw

With countless stories about Canadian life and history, a unique guitar from the Six String Nation made a stop in the historic town of Bashaw last weekend.

“I haven’t met one person who doesn’t have some kind of connection to some part of the guitar,” said Jowi Taylor, who created the guitar with 64 pieces of bone, metal, wood, stone and fabric he collected from every province and territory in Canada.

About 100 people gathered at Bashaw Community Centre last Friday evening, after Taylor visited Bashaw School during the day.

The event was sponsored by Bashaw Library, Bashaw School, Bashaw Support Team Association and Encana.

“We got to touch history,” said Bashaw librarian Cindy Hunter.

“It was the stories behind the pieces that makes this interesting.”

Students were thrilled to touch the guitar and hear the story, and several came back for the evening show, said Terri Brown-Gust, a teacher at the school who also chairs the library society.

“They were silent through the whole presentation (at the school) and he made a connection with the students.”

Two local musicians were honoured to play the guitar that has been strummed by hundreds since the guitar made its debut at Ottawa in 2006 on Canada Day.

“It’s a nice-sounding guitar,” Marvin Drewes said. “It’s got to be tough to stand up to my playing.”

Ben Wilson also played the guitar and sang a song he wrote — This Town has a Piece of Me — for the Town of Bashaw’s centennial in 2011.

“Putting the guitar in the hands of people is what it’s all about,” Taylor said.

“It’s about the stories behind the pieces. Everyone is part of the story.”

The closest piece of the guitar comes from the floor of the Hand Hills Community Hall near Hanna, which boasts the long-running rodeo in Alberta.

The guitar includes pieces of hockey sticks from retired National Hockey League greats Paul Henderson and Wayne Gretzky, Maurice (Rocket) Richard’s Stanley Cup ring, Don Cherry’s pants, former Olympic skier Nancy Greene’s skis, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s canoe paddle, Canadian history and writer Pierre Berton’s bowtie and a piece of the Bluenose ship.

For more information on the presentation, visit www.sixstringnation.com.