Woodshop Rocks Students Design Guitars for Sammy’s Rockin’ Island Bar & Grill

When you walk inside Sammy Hagar’s newest restaurant, colorful guitars will line the walls, which might be expected in a . But what sets these guitars apart is the fact that they’re all built and designed by current and former students with the help of community members.

The 20 guitars were created over the summer inside the Woodshop Rocks classroom at the Roseville school and will be displayed and up for sale inside .

Hagar has signed fifteen of the guitars and one is currently up for auction on eBay, along with two tickets to Saturday’s “invitation-only” event when Hagar will perform. As of Tuesday afternoon, the price tag was just over $1,500; bids are open through Wednesday night. All proceeds from the auction will go towards funding Woodshop Rocks, a program that is not funded by the school or district, but relies on donations and contributions, according to Duane Calkins, Woodshop Rocks creator and teacher.

Every year, Calkins teaches his students how to design and build electric guitars that they can play and take home.

“There’s nothing better than seeing a kid starting a guitar,” Calkins said. When they’re finished “they’re just freaking out about it. The kids take the guitars home and show their parents and their parents are amazed.”

Calkins started the program over a decade ago after he jokingly says he became “infected with the guitar-building virus.” Since then, he’s helped students build more than 1,000 guitars.

Calkins spent his summer in the classroom with a group of students creating the custom guitars for Hagar and his restaurant. The signature series was created with the help of Palmer Signs, Calkins said. Another guitar, which Calkins calls the “rosebud guitar,” will be given to Hagar as a “welcome to Roseville” gift. A gold, unofficial “key to the city guitar” will also be presented to , Calkins said.

Over the years, Calkins has formed partnerships with and supported local businesses like Palmer Signs and Mac’s Distributing, an auto body paint shop, and encourages residents to do the same.

“If we don’t support something good like that, it will be gone,” he said. “Spend your money here in Roseville. It will keep that business (Sammy’s Rockin’ Bar & Grill) and Downtown Roseville revitalized.”

You can see the guitars when the restaurant opens to the public during a grand opening Sept. 22. The restaurant will have limited hours before then.

Want to make a donation to Woodshop Rocks?

Woodshop Rocks accepts one-time or monthly donations, as well as community members who wish to volunteer their time or expertise. Email info@woodshoprocks.com for more information.

For more information on the guitar available on eBay, .

More information on Woodshop Rocks is available here.

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