Annual Bowlin Box Guitar Music & Art Festival
Our Mission: Better tomorrows start with today’s kids.
Art, music, and science have profound and interconnected effects on children’s development, fostering creativity, cognitive skills, and academic success. These disciplines offer unique pathways for children to explore, learn, and express themselves, ultimately shaping their brains and preparing them for future challenges.. That’s our mission each year at the Bowlin Box Guitar Music & Art festival held the first weekend of October at Bear Claw Vineyard in Blue Ridge, GA. Change a life, change a circumstance, give a chance, give hope, give embrace, and inspire.
We have seen nearly 4000 attendees during the weekend event as tourists flock to North Georgia to watch the leaves change and partake in fall activities. Over the more recent years this area has bloomed with tourism, retail shops, restaurants, wineries, breweries, and attractions with the help of many outsiders coming in and starting businesses, which has added jobs and a boost in the local economy. What was once a quiet area known for its peaceful beauty of nature and scenery, Is now a must visit location for everyone! The many locals who work at these businesses and keep the town going are hardworking, loyal, proud, trustworthy, friendly, and helpful. The dedication and time these people give to this town and the businesses often takes away from their families primarily their kids and many of them struggle to make ends meet as the popularity of this area grows, the cost of living grows too. It’s a struggle to balance time with your kids and time working to provide for them.
Travis Bowlin, is an artist who lives in Nashville,TN with a long list of achievements https://travisbowlin.com/about/ and has been performing in the area for nearly ten years he states “Almost every business that has live music has had me perform or has inquired about it.” He’s felt welcome here with overwhelming kindness and support for his art/music that he decided he needed to give back to the community!
Travis started creating playable art/musical instruments out of recycled materials back in 2015 which has had a major positive impact on his life and career. American music and the roots of all popular music started in places like North Georgia with people making instruments/music out of necessity. These instruments are often called folk art/instruments, but there’s a lot of science behind how an instrument is built, works, and plays. Yet you can make music/sound from almost anything & everything. This knowledge and history has to be shared!
In 2022 he launched his festival with the help of Michelle Stewart (Swim) owner of Bear Claw Vineyard/Head Sponsor as well as Cheryl Turner former Toys for Tots president as an event to benefit the youth through music ,art, and science in conjunction with Toys for Tots. It’s become one of their biggest events of the year and has had a major impact in fulfilling the local needs in the area during the holidays as well as becoming one of the largest festivals focusing on instruments made from upcycling in the country. The long term goal is to do more for the next generation to create a weekend for the kids to have fun, learn, be loud, be expressive, creative, think, and provide a long term positive impact, while their parents/guardians relax!
Each year the festival brings in some of the top musical artists in the world who specialize in instruments made from recycling. It’s in Travis’ own experience that if you take care of the talent you get the best performance, attitude, and crowd connection the entertainer has to offer which makes for an unforgettable show for the attendance of all ages. Alongside live music there are art and craft vendors, food trucks, raffles, activities for all, educational classes for kids including learning to play the harmonica, building and playing the ukulele, diy kazoos, diy percussion, and so much more.
They plan to continue the festival’s growth and become one of top fall events for families in the local/surrounding areas as well as for tourists . It takes all year to plan this and as it continues to grow so do costs. Booking Acts, Food Trucks, Vendors, Raffles items, Activities, Items for Educational classes, Graphic designer, Artist lodging, Artist meals, Sound, Lighting, Staff, Scheduling, Advertisement, Social Media, Banners/Signs are just some of the tasks and costs it takes.
Sponsors are needed to help it grow. Over the years sponsors have helped with providing festival needs, financial support, lodging, raffle items… anything helps! Bear Claw & Bowlin provide the main sponsoring. Travis states “We are doing something for the greater good with genuine passion for bettering the youth, but I need help”. I can’t do it on my own.” It takes thousands of dollars to put on this FREE ALL AGES event which solely works on donations, sponsors, raffles, and human kindness.
Bowlin mentions that he had a similar upbringing to a lot of rural middle class or lower youth in America and can relate to a lot of kids in these areas. “There’s 3500 people in my hometown, my mother worked all the time to provide for us and still came up short, I struggled in school having to transfer to a different one mid year at the age of 11, but this school had something i’d never had before a Music Class and that teacher changed my life she noticed my talents, gave me a chance, lit a spark, and set me on the path I’m still on.” “I believe I would have gone down a much more troubled path without Art, Music, Science in my life along with someone taking notice and giving me a chance. It’s time for us adults to Inspire the next generation.”
To become a sponsor, vendor, musical act, donate items, or just want to help. Please contact Travis Bowlin at TBowlinMusic@gmail.com
Travis Bowlin 
