Deep Winter Blues @ Hagood Mill
Billy Crawford
Deep Winter Blues
Hagood Mill, Saturday, February 16, 2019
Did you know that Upcountry South Carolina was a historical Mecca for the Blues? Throughout the 1920s and ’30s, the streets of Laurens, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson counties reverberated with the music of bluesmen, street preachers and buskers--all strolling enthusiastically with their tin cups extended. Many of these musicians became famous on the streets of New York City during the folk revival of the 1950s and '60s. It is this tradition we will celebrate on February 16th at Hagood Mill.
With an all-star lineup of bluesmen which features three SC State Folk Heritage Award winners, Freddie Vanderford, Steve McGaha, and J. Michael King, you know it’s gonna get scorching hot on a Winter’s day. Our mission on February 16th will be to keep the musical embers glowing all day, to ensure this we went out and secured a few other barn burning musicians, Rickey Godfrey from Nashville TN, and local favorite Brandon Turner to stoke the coals with some red hot blues of their own. The stage is likely to ignite with this scorching lineup, but no need to worry; we will have the fire extinguishers on standby just in case.
Get here early to secure a seat. Doors open at 10:00 a.m., and the live music will begin around 11:30 a.m. If you’ve never had the privilege to witness or experience the sweet and fiery soul of original South Carolina Piedmont Blues then you should do yourself a favor and head out to Hagood Mill on February 16th. It will be a day well spent.
There will be lots of other things to see on February 16th as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folklife and traditional-arts demonstrations. There will be blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flint-knapping, chair-caning, moonshining, broom-making, basketmaking, pottery, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, metalsmithing, beekeeping, bobbin lace, and leatherworking demonstrations and much more! We encourage visitors to ask questions of the artists, gain insight, and if you wish, spend a little money to secure a Traditional Arts treasure of your own.
As always, we encourage visitors to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the show. Visitors are also welcome to bring their favorite old-time instruments and join in the “open jam” which typically takes place throughout the day under the ancient cedar beside our beloved 1791 log cabin.
The Centerpiece of the Hagood Mill Historic Site is the water-powered 1845 gristmill. It is one of the finest examples of nineteenth century technology in the Upcountry and operates just as it has for the last century and a half. The mill will be running throughout the day. In the old mill, fresh stone-ground cornmeal, grits, and wheat flour will be available. In addition, rye flour, Basmati rice flour, oat flour, oatmeal, popping corn meal and grits, organic yellow corn meal and grits, and buckwheat flour are produced and may be available. Hagood Mill cookbooks and a variety of other mill-related items are also available.
There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! There is a $5.00 parking fee for the day but admission is FREE to the Hagood Mill Historic Site as well as to the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. All proceeds from parking help offset the costs at Hagood Mill.
So, head on out, grab a helping of tasty food, served on site from some of the best food trucks in the area, and as always, enjoy your special day at Hagood Mill.
The Hagood Mill Historic Site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. year round. The Mill operates, rain or shine, the third Saturday of every month.
Both the Hagood Mill Historic Site and the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site are located 3 miles north of Main Street Pickens off of Highway 178 W or 5 ½ miles south of Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy 11 just off Highway 178 E at 138 Hagood Mill Road.
For additional information please contact Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936, visit us on Facebook, or go to WWW.HagoodMillFoundation.org for a list of current programming and additional upcoming events.
Pickens County is an equal opportunity provider and employer
Billy J. Crawford
Director – Hagood Mill Historic Site
