From start to finish music played at Maple Hall, Civic Garden Club, in designated venues and anywhere a person could pick up a guitar and strum it: in a corner, a hallway, at exhibitor tables, the edge of Maple Hall’s stage, its three quiet rooms and the plaza outside. The third annual La Conner Guitar Festival was another smashing success, making everyone happy except, perhaps, the unexpecting tourists hoping for a quiet weekend before the summer rush.

From Friday through Sunday La Conner was the center of the universe for luthiers and their appreciators, valuing high quality handmade guitars...