The RAGBRAI banjo

The old banjo needs an update:

Here it is with some fellow school teachers at RAGBRAI XXXV

Here are some more recent pictures

Detail of broken tail piece

I was at Avo's bluegrass jam last night when the old banjo began to cry out for help. This particular banjo was made from an old pressure cooker and a furniture leg. It was played for many years, exposed to all kinds of weather, stored in a car trunk during the winter months, and it never, ever had it's own protective case.
Last night while at the Avo's jam, certain structural abnormalities of the tail piece were noted during the playing of the instrument. The banjo quickly lost tune and it became apparent that the banjo could no longer hold tension on the strings.

The tail piece, which was probably 35 years old, decided to fold!