Hagood Mill's Super KidsFest is March 16

The annual KidsFest at Hagood Mill, to be presented by the Pickens County Cultural Commission on Saturday, March 16, has become a Super KidsFest this year with the addition of a bluegrass and old-time music competition for youth. 

The event is aimed at young musicians, but music lovers of all ages will enjoy some outstanding performances between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Admission to the event is free.       

Hosts and emcees Steve McGaha and Gregg “Buffalo” Barfield—the “Wizards of Odd”—will start the day with a concert featuring their music and performances by bands from the Young Appalachian Musicians (YAM) program, an after-school music program at Pickens County schools.        

Participants in a “Found Instrument Workshop” will learn how to make traditional musical instruments from “found” objects.

They will decorate their instruments, learn to play them, participate in a big “jug band jam” scheduled for 1:10 p.m., and take the instruments home with them.

Preserving Our Southern Appalachian Music (POSAM), the organization that sponsors the YAM program, will conduct a youth competition starting at 2 p.m. Categories include guitar, fiddle, banjo, mandolin, vocals, an open category for other instruments, and a band competition.

The competition will be divided into two divisions—middle and high school students in one and younger musicians in the other. Registration will take place on site, closing at 1:30 p.m.        

The Sweet Potato Pie Kids, a band composed of top students from the YAM program, will perform while the youth competition judges are making their decisions.        

Food concessions will be provided by The Gatehouse Restaurant. Historic Hagood Mill is located at 138 Hagood Mill Road, just off U.S. Highway 178, north of Pickens.

More information can be found online at www.pickenscountymuseum.org and www.yamupstate.org.