Smiles all around during a jam session on the Astoria Riverfront Trolley during the Tenor Guitar Gathering.

With their guitars, ukuleles and other four-string instruments in tow, music lovers will gather for the Tenor Guitar Gathering, now in its 13th year.

The weekend-long event gathers four-string musicians to jam out and share their love of music in a laid-back setting. Set at the Charlene Larsen Center for Performing Arts, the three-day gathering features performers from across the U.S.

“It’s a lot of camaraderie, just a lot of people enjoying making music together,” Mary Ann Ylipelto, one of the group’s board members, said.

Ylipelto is excited by the talent, especially that of the gathering’s four mainstay performers. John Lawlor hails from Philadelphia, Grant Flick is from Ohio. Tim May and Tyler Jackson are from Oklahoma.

May, a Nashville native, has been a part of the lineup for several years. He travels up from the south, bringing with him a tenor guitar, a six-string instrument and sometimes a mandolin to jam with the gathering-goers.

“There’s not really anything that celebrates one thing like it,” May said of the event.

With the tenor group’s long run, musicians have bonded and watched each other evolve. Flick started at the gathering in his teens, and has since gone through college and put out numerous albums. His music style encompasses jazz, swing, bluegrass and acoustic.

“It’s been wonderful to watch these people grow up,” Harriott Balmer, the group’s president, said.

Performers, he explained, are a mix of old and new. Artists familiar with the gathering build on what they did in previous years.

August Watters is a multi-style, improvising mandolinist. He’s new to this year’s event and splits his time between Oregon and the east coast. Alison Helzer, a Celtic tenor major player, is also scheduled to play. Helzer uses her training in neuroscience to implement science-based techniques in guitar playing.

Performers and guests meld their guitar skills during the jam sessions, which run through the weekend on the main stage.

“When they jam out together, magic happens,” Ylipelto said.

The performers put on great shows, and also host workshops to help others build up their musical toolkits — something that sets the Tenor Guitar Group apart from others.

This year’s workshops range widely in skill level, with topics that include learning to write solos, using introductory chords and exploring Native American fiddle tunes. All focused on the tenor guitar, a smaller, four-string rendition of an acoustic guitar.

“It’s an instrument that people get really in love with,” Balmer said.

In its 13 years, the gathering has built a solid community of tenor guitar lovers. After the day’s activities wrap up, Balmer said musicians head back to the Astoria Riverwalk Inn, where a new tradition has formed — lobby jam sessions.

The gathering kicks off with a trolley ride and luncheon at Bridgewater Bistro. On Sunday, the group will close out the gathering with a performance at the Astoria Sunday Market.

Tenor Guitar Gathering

Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts, 588 16th St., Astoria

Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Admission for each workshop and concert is $20 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets for the Bridgewater Bistro luncheon are $30. Jam sessions are free and open to the public

www.tenorguitar.org