[Scmusenet] Music In the Mountains Fall Season Kicks off THIS SATURDAY September 20 with an "Old Time Fiddlin' Convention" at the Hagood Mill

[Allen Coleman]

With Autumn comes "MUSIC in the MOUNTAINS 2008"

 

Fall Season kicks off September 20 with an "Old Time Fiddlin' Convention"

at the Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center

 

   For the next few months the mountainous upcountry of Pickens County will ring with the music of the indigenous and mysterious 'folk of the mountains'. Thanks to the Pickens County Museum and Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center, people in the upstate and beyond can treat themselves to the primitive music and customs of our upcountry heritage.

 

   From Labor Day 'til Christmas this season of "MUSIC in the MOUNTAINS" is packed with events at Hagood Mill. Included in the offering is:

 

Sept. 20:    "Hagood Mill's Old Time Fiddlin' Convention" 11:00 - 4:00 see details below.

 

Oct. 18:      "7th Annual Hagood Mill Storytelling Festival" Featuring John Fowler with Dianne Hackworth, Evelyn Parks and Donna Marie Todd. The best of Southern storytelling gracing the stages, porches and other locals at the old mill site. 10:00 to 4:00

 

Nov. 15:      Selugadu II: A Native American Celebration. Cherokee and Inter-Tribal dancing, drumming, song and storytelling in honor of Native American Heritage Month. 10:00 to 4:00

 

Dec. 20:      "A Yuletide Celebration at Hagood Mill" Celebrate the solstice and Yuletide traditions from around the world. 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

 

   As the festive season kicks off on Saturday, September 20, the Pickens County Cultural Commission invites you to a special, and free, day of milling, music and memories at the Hagood Mill Historic Site & Folklife Center. The Mill will be operating, rain or shine, on Saturday, September 15 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This 1845 gristmill, with its' 20 ft. overshot wooden waterwheel, is one of the oldest mills still producing grain products in S.C.

 

   Come join the friends of the Pickens County Museum as "MUSIC in the MOUNTAINS 2007" picks up with the Hagood Mill playing host for a free 'Ole Time Fiddlin' Convention' on the outdoor stage from 11:00 until 4:00. This is a southern tradition of our area that goes back to the early 1900's, when contests were held at Tillman Hall on the Clemson campus. Prize money will be given in the following categories: string band, fiddle, junior fiddle, banjo, guitar and "open" (mandolin, dulcimer, harmonica, folk song, etc.) A special category will highlight young fiddlers. Mid-afternoon there will be a special demonstration of Irish music by some of the best upstate musicians. It will highlight the role that our Celtic heritage plays in southeastern folk music. Contest entry is free, but contestants must register for all competitions by one hour before contest time...so plan on coming out for the whole show! Bring a lawn chair and enjoy a day of rip-roaring, foot-stomping music by some of the region's best old time musicians! One and all are also invited to join in the jam(s) around the site. 

 

   Hagood Mill operates just as it has for the last century-and-a-half. In the old mill, fresh stone-ground corn meal, grits and wheat flour will be available, as well as Hagood Mill cookbooks and a variety of other mill related items.

 

   The Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folklife and traditional arts demonstrations each month, including blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flintknapping, moonshining, quilting, spinning, weaving, woodcarving, open-hearth cooking, musical instrument building and more! Come see the mill site's newly restored Daniel Pratt cotton gin, which will run several times throughout the day. This rare 1890's gin has been restored over the last two years by Hagood Mill volunteers.

 

   Hagood Mill operates just as it has for the last century-and-a-half. In the old mill, fresh stone-ground corn meal, grits and wheat flour will be available, as well as Hagood Mill cookbooks and a variety of other mill related items. The Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folklife and traditional arts demonstrations each month, including blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flintknapping, moonshining, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, open-hearth cooking, musical instrument building and more! 

 

   There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! So, head on out, grab a plate of Kannarney's Barbeque and enjoy a day at the Mill. Show your support for the Mill and the Pickens County Museum by joining them at this monthly Third Saturday event. The Hagood Mill operates, rain or shine, the third Saturday of every month and is located just 3 miles north of Pickens or 5 ½ miles south of Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy 11 off SC Hwy 178 at 138 Hagood Mill Road. Hagood Mill is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 until 4:00, to tour the buildings and grounds and to visit the Mill Site Gift Shop. 

 

   "Music in the Mountains 2008" is sponsored by a private benefactor. The Pickens County Museum of Art & History is funded in part by Pickens County, members and friends of the museum and a grant from the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

 

   For additional information please contact the Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 or the Pickens County Museum at (864) 898-5963. 

 

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