Tent 1

Dance mistress and historical interpreter at the Roper Mountain Science Center's Living History Farm, Eve King will teach visitors how to imitate traditional English Country Dance steps that were required social skills of every backwoods beau and belle in the 1800's.  Come "figure 8," "crossover hey," and "gypsy" to the hauntingly beautiful tunes of this traditional artform.

Tent 2

Bob Perry re-creates the 18th Century life of a hunter/trapper in the Upstate of SC.  Using pelts of animals, traps, and weapons authentic to the time period, he offers everyone a first-hand glimpse of an exciting but hazardous lifestyle.

Tent 3

A familiar sight at the Hagood Mill Folklife Center in Pickens, SC, Journeyman Beekeeper Charlotte Anderson has always been fascinated by the idea of keeping "wild" bees in a box and being able to harvest honey.  She will show how both respecting and cultivating this creature has impacted the agricultural heritage of the upstate while visitors get to taste the richness of the "food of the gods.

Tent 4

Taking naturally died wool, combing it and preparing it for spinning, Jan Perry will demonstrate the Colonial art of spinning on both a drop spindle and a small Saxony spinning wheel.  Thread, the finished product, could then be knitted or woven into caps, fingerless mitts, wrist warmers, stockings, and blankets used by the pioneers long ago.  Watch her spin a lumpy mass into something useable and necessary--thread for clothing!

Tent 5

The last known boat builder in SC, Willie Dereef takes pride in his Gullah heritage.  Having built over 80 boats in his lifetime, he hand-crafts boats in much the same fashion as his ancestors, who brought the tradition from West Africa.  He has been awarded the 2004 Jean Laney Harris Award from the SC Arts Commission for Folk and Traditional Artisans and was honored in 2006 as a SC African-American History Calendar designee.  While visiting his tent, try your hand at building a timeless and utilitarian craft.

Tent 6

Honoring the Cherokee people is the goal of Native American Musician, Roger Whitmire.  Exhibiting over 100 flutes that have been made by the artist or collected over the years, Whitmire shows the various types of Native American flutes, coaxes their different tones, and tells about their uses in Native American culture.  Having apprenticed under master Native American musicians Mary Youngblood and Jeff Ball, Whitmire continues to attend pow-wows and gatherings of Native Americans, where he runs across other musicians who pass down their techniques, embellishments, and know-how to improve his flute music.  Listen, play, and enjoy the music of the Native Americans.

Tent 7

Having always worked with wood, James Gillespie was hooked when he began carving a bowl using primitive tools and the mind's eye for beauty. Over the last 10 years, he's made dough bowls, fruit bowls, Swedish salad bowls, trenchers, rolling pins, and bread boards, all different because of the types of wood chosen and the grains the rings make.  He has become a veteran presenter at folk and heritage festivals and crowds will enjoy seeing his handiwork become something both useful and aesthetically pleasing.

Tent 8

A venerated fifth generation potter, Sid Luck continues the Luck pottery tradition that his ancestors started over two centuries ago. This pottery tradition is observed in the shape of many old time functional stoneware pieces such as candle holders, churns, jugs, pitchers, and teapots. Visitors to his presentations can experience the entire process from the mixing of the clay to the finished ware. Using local clay, one of the wheels originally belonging in his father's shop, and a wood-fired groundhog kiln, Luck creates salt-glazed pottery similar to that produced many years ago by Luck ancestors.

Tent 9

Equal parts craftsman, artist, teacher and storyteller, Charles "CeCe" Williams has a lifetime of knowledge about carving a useful item from a log, branch or vine gathered from the woods.  At his tent, you'll find hand-carved walking sticks and canes, all made with the skill, patience and grace of a time long past.  Winner of the 1997 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award, Williams has presented at several folklife festivals and community events, helping to preserve the traditional arts, crafts and culture of South Carolina.

Tent 10

Apples, apples, apples!  Participants will have an opportunity to assist in making fresh apple cider on a restored 19th Century Cider Mill and many visitors will also be able to peel, core, and slice apples on an original antique mechanical apple peeler.  After sampling the results of the press, Benko will share the importance of apples to early farmsteads, tell about the techniques for preserving apples, discuss the value of mechanization, and talk about the "thrifty" nature inherent in daily folklife.

Tent 11

Steeped in the tradition, foodways, and language of the Gullah people of the Sea Islands of South Carolina, Sharon and Frank Murray present the songs, stories, games, and crafts that characterize this important way of life for former African slaves.  From the rice culture that the Gullah People helped prosper to the superstitions of the root doctors, the Murrays will enliven their stories with a passion for the people who contributed so much to our society.

Tent 12

Owners of a small, non-commercial dairy, Peter Ebenhack and Julie Roberts of Harmony Dairy bring back the lifestyle so prevalent among the farm families of the upstate.  With a variety of animals brought to the city, visitors will be able to milk a cow, feed a calf, collect eggs, pet animals and learn about the daily activities of a farm.  They will provide a valuable and much enjoyed opportunity for local residents to see and experience farming at its basic and its best.