Deep Winter Blues at Hagood Mill Feb. 19

PICKENS — It has been cold and bleak outside, so why not heat things up this weekend? Bring your special someone and enjoy a great day of music and memories on Saturday, Feb. 19 as the Hagood Mill presents “Deep Winter Blues.” The site is open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

Upcountry South Carolina is a historical Mecca for the Blues. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s the streets of Laurens County, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson reverberated with the music of bluesmen/street- preachers as they were strolling with their tin cups extended. Many of these musicians became famous on the streets of New York City in the folk revival of the 50s and 60s. It is this tradition that is celebrated each February at the Hagood Mill Historic Site.

The Hagood Mill is proud to present this year’s headliner — Legendary Blues Musician Mac Arnold. Did you know that Mac Arnold’s first band included James Brown on piano? Did you know that Mac Arnold played the baseline for the iconic musical intro to “Sanford and Son”? Early in his career Mac moved to Chicago and Muddy Waters hired him on the spot after his first audition. He toured and recorded with the Muddy Waters Band and recorded LPs with Otis Spann and John Lee Hooker. Mac later moved to Los Angeles and produced Soul Train with his friend Don Cornelius. Mac retired from show business to be an organic farmer, but he’s never stopped performing for his fans. You don’t want to miss this show folks.

This year’s lineup also features David Donar, Freddie Vanderford, Brandon Turner, and Carolina Slim. Freddie Vanderford is a Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award winner and bluesmen. Brandon Turner is a talented and in demand multi-instrumentalist and singer who you can find playing with his partner, Angela Easterling around the area throughout the year. Gary Fann, AKA Carolina Slim, has really honed his musical talents over the past few years and is sure to delight spectators with his quality guitar picking and interesting stories. David Donar is a country bluesman, finger style picker that plays some red hot tunes! In addition to music, David is a cartoonist and illustrator whose favorite subject matter are all the various musicians who perform and jam at Hagood Mill throughout the year. Musical performances run from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Hear the old music that made upstate South Carolina a famous “roots environment” for the Piedmont Blues … some tunes primitive in nature and others coming from the sweet soul of the South Carolina bluesmen of long ago.

There will be lots of other things to see on Feb. 19 as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folklife and traditional-arts demonstrations. The Mill will be running and the grits will be grinding. Living history demonstrators will have the option to set up at the Heritage Pavilion with the artisan vendors, or to stay in their regular spots at the Historic Site. Visitors are encouraged 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.

There will be an artisan market with a cherry picked selection of the area’s artisans, where you can bring your special Valentine to shop for a unique, handcrafted gift. There will be kids activities as well! The Heritage Pavilion is closed in with tarps and will be heated with propane heaters. As always, we encourage visitors to bring their own seating and to bundle up.

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 cornmeal and grits, organic yellow cornmeal 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 in the Mill Mercantile.

There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! Admission is $5 per person and children 12 and under are free. There is no parking fee. Admission includes entrance to the Hagood Mill Historic Site, including the Heritage Pavilion and the South Carolina Petroglyph Site. All proceeds from admission help offset the costs at Hagood Mill.

Simpell Sammies Food Truck will be on site, so make sure to grab one of their delicious sandwiches while you enjoy your special day at Hagood Mill.

The Hagood Mill Historic Site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. year round. The Mill operates, rain or shine, the third Saturday of every month.

The Hagood Mill Historic Site, the South Carolina Petroglyph Site and the Heritage Pavilion 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 regarding the performance schedule please contact Hagood Mill at 864-898-2936, visit us on Facebook @HagoodMillFoundation, or go to www.HagoodMillHistoricSite.com for the full offerings of the Hagood Mill Historic Site.