downtown fresno blog

Posted by Kim Leonard

Sometimes you find out about an event that is too cool to pass up, no matter how dog tired you are. As soon as I saw the Facebook event for Fresno Open Carry Guitar Day I knew I’d be going, no matter how good the couch looked on an otherwise lazy Saturday.

The whole thing made me grin eat to ear- thinly veiled political satire, musicians having fun,  and downtown businesses getting in on the action. If I were Julie Andrews I’d finish that statement with “these are a few of my favorite things!”

According to the Facebook page, the Fresno Open Carry Guitar Day was all about the American right to publicly strum openly and freely. (If you want a good chuckle and you like double entendre, read about the “Lute Clause” in the info.)

My kids and I spent all night last night making foam board guitars and watching their favorite movie, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to prepare, and they went to bed with rockstar dreams in their heads.

The group assembled at JewelFM and some tuned, most jammed- it sounded a bit like Guitar Center, or that guitar class you took in high school on the first day, except if you listened closely enough you could pick out the incredible skill coming from all corners of the JewelFM Gallery.

The group took off and marched through Downtown Fresno, making a stop at the Warnors and finally ending at Peeve’s for pancakes and a super informal open mic, which was a real treat. It was a blast and I’m really thankful that I decided this was a must attend event. Now I feel justified in being glued to the sofa for the rest of the afternoon, too!

Here are a few more shots I took- hey, I never said I played guitar, I carried to camera around to keep my hands busy! Enjoy!

Many of these musicians can be seen around town at open mic nights, the Central Valley Blues Society and performing right here in downtown. We have an incredible pool of talent in Fresno, take advantage of it and get out and support your local musicians and the right to bear guitars!