The Mayville Guitar Show and Stringed Instrument Festival hosted by Chautauqua Suites Meeting and Expo Center will hold a Painted Guitar Auction as a benefit fundraiser for The Infinity Performing Arts Music Program.  The Infinity Performing Arts Program was established in Jamestown, New York in 1998 as an opportunity for aspiring young musicians to enhance their musical talents and performance skills under the supervision and direction of local artists and musicians. The name "Infinity" was chosen to represent the potential for future growth and participation for youth throughout the community.  “We are pleased to be able to help support the Infinity Project encouraging young musical talent to improve their skills.” said Brent Galuppo, Director of Development and Operations for HK McConnon Companies, owner of Chautauqua Suites.

The Mayville Guitar Show and Stringed Instrument Festival is November 7-9.  The show is a combination of fine instrument builders, great music dealers, exceptional performances, and workshops that allow anyone from beginner to professional an opportunity to experience music instruction at its best. The Painted Guitar Auction will be held during the show Saturday November 8^th at 6pm.  David Brown will preside as auctioneer.  Several local artists have donated their talents to decorate the guitars.  The Germaine and Pappalardo Music store donated the guitars.

CONTACT:  Jim Holler (716) 499-3671

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      

Jamestown, New York (September 30, 2008)

Having the means to make beautiful music is beyond imagination for the nearly 200 families living in abject squalor on the city dump at Managua, Nicaragua. Their meager subsistence is scavenged from the trash deposited by garbage trucks – a highly dangerous activity that barely fends off starvation while frequently maiming and even killing their children.

But people who make beautiful music thousands of miles away can imagine better lives for these people, and are working to make them a reality. To help finance the relocation and education of malnourished families living on the dump, a coalition of leaders in Chautauqua County’s music industry has organized a fund-raising program featuring a raffle for a valuable guitar.

Proceeds of the raffle will benefit Project Chacocente (www.outofthedump.org), a not-for-profit organization with Chautauqua County roots. In the four years since its founding, the organization has rescued families from the dump and relocated them to farmlands upon which they have built their own homes, grown crops for sale as well as for their own sustenance, erected schools, learned trades and grown healthier.

The local coalition includes Trinity Guitars, the Jamestown-based firm founded by guitar builder Jim Holler, and the Mayville Guitar Show and Stringed Instrument Festival, a Bill Ward enterprise. Chautauqua Suites Meeting & Expo Center, which will host the Guitar Show and Festival, and the site of the November 9th drawing for the guitar, is also supporting the fund-raising effort. The prize guitar, a Baden A-Style rosewood model valued at $2,650, was personally donated by T.J. Baden, founder and CEO of Baden Guitars.

Ward and his family have been to the La Chureca dump and witnessed firsthand the drama that unfolds there on a daily basis. Alice Ward, 15, says the experience placed the circumstances of her own life in a new perspective. “I was heartbroken. I couldn't imagine living a day in their shoes let alone a lifetime. It really gave me a new appreciation of all the stuff that I take for granted every day.” Bille Ward, 17, adds: “I would encourage other families in Western New York to in some way connect with the people down there, so that they will feel your love and know that you really do care.” 

Tickets for the Baden guitar raffle are available by phone from Jim Holler at (716) 499-3671, at the front desk at Chautauqua Suites on Route 394 in Mayville (where the guitar is on display) and at Germaine & Pappalardo Music Shoppe, 52 Charles Street, Jamestown. Tickets are priced at $5 apiece or three for $10, and 100 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to support the efforts of Project Chacocente. It will not be necessary to attend the November 9 drawing to claim the prize.

Individuals who wish to support Project Chacocente without purchasing a raffle ticket should visit http://www.outofthedump.org/donations.html. Links for establishing one-time and recurring tax-deductible contributions through PayPal are available there, as is a mailing address to which checks can be sent to the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

High-resolution photos of conditions at the Managua city dump, the Baden guitar, the Ward family and Jim Holler are available for downloading at (http://www.trinityguitars.com/steelstr/baden/casr.html). Background and media contact information for organizations listed in this release follow:

Project Chacocente:  The program’s website, www.outofthedump.org, includes a PowerPoint presentation, a brief history, program description, staff list and FAQ. Chautauqua County-based supporters of the effort who have agreed to make themselves available for interviews include (names and phone numbers needed).

Trinity Guitars/Jim Holler: In addition to building his own hand-built line of highly acclaimed and innovative classical guitars featuring patented adaptations of time-honored designs, Holler offers a full line of guitars manufactured by Martin, Larrivee, Baden and National, Weber mandolins and more. His presence in Jamestown is a rare asset for a city of its size, and a valuable resource trusted by guitar players throughout the world. (www.trinityguitars.com)

The Mayville Guitar Show & Stringed Instrument Festival The November 7-9, 2008 event will feature instrument dealers, builders, workshops, demos and clinics. This is the event’s fourth year, but the first at the new Chautauqua Suites Meeting & Expo Center, which is offering packages including overnight accommodations for guests and vendors, and an excellent onsite restaurant and lounge. Featured performers for 2008 include (names needed). Additional information is available at stay@chautauquasuites.com and discoverchautauqua.com.

Baden Guitars:  Founded by T.J. Baden, the firm prides itself in building guitars “the Old School way,” by hand. The firm’s focus on quality is underscored by its strategy of building instruments in but two body styles – an innovative dreadnought style, and the “A-Style” series including the rosewood example that is being raffled to benefit the families of Project Chacocente. Additional information is available at www.badenguitars.com.