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Man sells handcrafted instruments at Gold Rush Days
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Handcrafted half-shell gourd kalimbas hang on display at Mountain Melodies Manufacturing at the annual Gold Rush Days festival Sunday in Dahlonega. Paul Bergstrom, the owner of Mountain Melodies Manufacturing, gets most of his gourds from Wuertz gourd farm in Arizona due to the thinness of gourds grown in the Southeast. - photo by JOSHUA L. JONES
Gourds are a strange fruit. It is nearly impossible to visit a country fair or curiosity shop off the highway without finding some evidence of dried gourds, hollowed into a birdhouse or painted as folk art. For Paul Bergstrom of Blairsville-based Mountain Melodies Manufacturing, the gourd is a perfect instrument to make simple and beautiful music that anyone can enjoy.