ATHENS: Teen makes guitar from ruins of Georgia Theatre

7:46 PM, Jul 28, 2011   |    comments
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Robbie Smith's guitar, made from parts of Athens' Georgia Theatre (A.J. Reynolds/The Red & Black)

ATHENS, GA -- The long-awaited reopening of Athens' Georgia Theatre is only days away.

The theater was severely damaged in a 2009 fire.

Incoming UGA student Robbie Smith from Gwinnett County commemorated the theater and its reopening by building a guitar, made completely from pieces salvaged from the historic theater's ruins.

According to UGA's Red and Black newspaper, Smith used wood from the bar and stage, a Coca-Cola badge from the refrigerator and part of the Georgia Theatre's famed stained glass windows.

The guitar's straps were made from t-shirts found in the rubble.

Signatures adorn the guitar from a number of major artists who have ties to the theater, including Widespread Panic, Avett Brothers, Drive-by Truckers and Randall Bramblett.

The guitar is set to be raffled off at a show on October 10. Tickets are $5, and all the money raised will go toward costs to restore the theater.