Strawberry Grower, Country Music Stars Strum Up Charity For RCMA

By Growing Produce Staff|May 9, 2011

A nice, new electric guitar retails for $300 to $500. But what if the guitar body has been custom-carved into the shape of a shiny red strawberry? What if this same guitar was autographed by the high-flying country trio, Lady Antebellum? What if Lady Antebellum played the strawberry guitar in concert a month after winning five Grammy awards? How much is this guitar worth? Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) plans to find out.

The Florida-based nonprofit, which operates childcare centers for the rural poor, placed the autographed strawberry guitar for auction on eBay Thursday night (May 5). To view the particulars, link to the eBay auction site. The guitar’s eBay item number is 3305-6102-2401. The auction will end at 10 p.m. May 15.

“I know people who are willing to pay $3,000 for the autographed guitar right now,” says Gary Wishnatzki, an RCMA board member and one of Florida’s leading strawberry growers. “But I think we can get considerably more.” The guitar auction was Wishnatzki’s idea. His company, Wish Farms, sponsors the largest concert stage at the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. Wishnatzki ordered the guitar in December 2010 from Musical Harvest, a Salinas, CA, company that makes custom designs.

When Lady Antebellum arrived to perform on March 13, Strawberry Festival General Manager Paul Davis asked the group’s members – Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood – to autograph Wishnatzki’s strawberry guitar. Haywood decided to try it out. Facing an empty amphitheater on a sunlit Sunday afternoon, Haywood paced and strummed. That night, during an encore version of “Our Kind of Love,” he played it for the audience.

RCMA has long been a favorite charity in Florida farm communities. RCMA’s childcare centers prepare the children of migrant farm workers and other low-income families to succeed in public schools. “You can add me to the huge list of Lady Antebellum fans,” said Barbara Mainster, RCMA’s Executive Director. “They play music from the heart, and they have a big heart for needy kids.”