ReString Appalachia to Host Instrument Drive and Live Set at 2026 NC Folk Festival
ReString Appalachia, a (501c3) nonprofit that collects gently used and well-loved instruments for musicians who have lost their gear in natural disasters, will host an instrument drive throughout the 2026 NC Folk Festival, Sept. 18-20 in downtown Greensboro. Founder and Executive Director Nicholas Williams will also perform with Abigail Dowd at 7:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at The Flat Iron.
Since its founding in October 2024, ReString Appalachia has delivered more than 1000 instruments to musicians who lost theirs to natural disasters nationwide and abroad in Jamaica after Hurricanes Helene and Melissa.
Festivalgoers are invited to donate guitars, banjos, fiddles, mandolins, ukuleles and other stringed instruments in playable or lightly serviceable condition. Unused strings, capos, tuners, picks and slides are also welcome. Instruments that need major repairs cannot be accepted at this time.
Donated instruments will support three priorities:
Disaster relief: Replacing instruments lost by musicians affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters across the United States and beyond.
Music education: Equipping partners, including Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), to support the next generation of traditional musicians.
Marshall community hub: Stocking ReString Appalachia’s new location in Marshall, N.C., opening Oct. 31 in Madison County with instrument access, luthier services and gig resources for the community.
“The Folk Festival is exactly the kind of place where our story gets to keep going, one donated fiddle or guitar at a time,” said Williams.
Williams’ set with Dowd will be part of a special festival edition of Dowd’s monthly Songwriter Series. For the past three years, the Greensboro-based series has brought songwriters from across North Carolina and the country to The Flat Iron to exchange songs and stories in the intimate setting Dowd calls her “adopted living room.”
“For many musicians, an instrument is part of how they make a living and stay connected to their community,” said Jodee Ruppel, Executive Director of the NC Folk Festival. “ReString Appalachia helps them get back to making music after disaster has taken their gear. We’re proud to bring their work to the festival and give our community a direct way to help.”
Instrument donors can drop off items at the ReString Appalachia tent throughout all three days of the festival. Those unable to attend can learn more or arrange a donation at restringappalachia.org.
The performance and instrument drive are part of the 2026 NC Folk Festival, taking place Sept. 18-20 in downtown Greensboro. The free, three-day festival will feature performances across five stages, along with arts, food and cultural programming.
