Charles Wood

PICKENS — Come join your friends at Hagood Mill on Saturday, July 18 as “Music in the Mountains 2015” continues, as the mill hosts a “Banjo Extravaganza” featuring Charles Wood with Nitrograss.  This sonically unique Asheville based band creates a carefree and exciting atmosphere of pure acoustic pleasure.  The percussion rhythms of two time national banjo champion Charles Wood lay the foundation for the band’s unique style.  Wood is a veteran showman with appearances on “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor.  Wood has toured in Austria and Germany with The Lonesome Road Band and taught at the esteemed Munich, Germany Banjo Camp in 2009.  Wood has also starred at many regional and national Bluegrass festivals.  Other members of Nitrograss include Caleb Hanks – mandolin, Micah Hanks- guitar, and Dakota “Smokey” Waddell on the stand up base.  This promises to be a very entertaining show from the fun and hilarity of the five string banjo to moments of pure fire and sensitivity created on stage by this highly unique and energetic band.

Charles Wood and Nitrograss will be performing from noon until 2 p.m., so don’t miss out on this great opportunity to witness one of the nation’s best banjo players in action.

The gristmill and other demonstrations will be running from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

 As always visitors are encouraged 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.

Admission is free, however there will be a $5 parking fee for this rain or shine event.

 So pack up the car, head on out, and don’t forget to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

There will be lots of other things to see on July 18 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, leather working, bee keeping and more. You can ask questions of the artists and make a purchase of their Traditional Arts to take home.

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 corn meal, 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! So, head on out, share a picnic, or grab a plate of great food on site from the Gatehouse Restaurant and enjoy a special day at 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 Mill operates, rain or shine, for a special festival the third Saturday of every month.

 “Music in the Mountains 2015” is sponsored by a private benefactor and the kind donations of visitors like you. For additional information, please contact the Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936 or check out our website at www.visitpickenscounty.com/calendar