PICKENS — It has been cold and bleak outside, so to heat up things, come out for a day of fun on Saturday, Feb. 20, as the Hagood Mill will present “Deep Winter Blues.” The site is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with music from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Upcountry South Carolina is a historical Mecca for the Blues.  Throughout the 1920s and ‘30s 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 we celebrate each February at Hagood Mill.

This year’s lineup features Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award winner and bluesman Steve McGaha with finger style picker and country bluesman David Donar playing 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 the Hagood Mill throughout the year.

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 February 20 as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folk life and traditional arts demonstrations.  There will be blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flint knapping, chair-caning, moonshining, broom-making, basket-making, pottery, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, metal-smithing, bee keeping,  leather-working and more. As always we encourage visitors to bring their favorite old time instruments and join in on the “open jam” which 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.

There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! There is a $5 parking fee for the day but admission is free to the Hagood Mill Site as well as the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site. All proceeds from parking go to help the Hagood Mill.

The Hagood Mill historic site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. all year long.

The Hagood Mill is just three miles north of Pickens off US 178 or 5.5 miles south of Cherokee Foothills Scenic S.C. Highway 11 just off U.S. 178 at 138 Hagood Mill Road.