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Celtic Christmas
December 18, 2021@10:00 am-4:00 pm
$5
Details from 2020: The music of the Appalachian region was heavily influenced by the influx of Scotch and Irish immigrants, and this influence has been integral in the development of American folk music traditions. With Christmas approaching and the New Year beckoning, it is time once again to honor our musical traditions by listening to songs of the season. A local seasonal musical tradition is the Ed Harrison Memorial Celtic Christmas program, to be held at Heritage Pavilion at the Hagood Mill Historic Site on Saturday, December 19, from 10 am – 4 pm.
The Ed Harrison Memorial Celtic Christmas program has become an annual event, featuring many fine local and even international musicians sharing songs of the tradition. Ed Harrison was a remarkably versatile musician, with a passion for playing multiple styles of roots music on a wide variety of instruments. He was an accomplished dobro player and clawhammer banjo player, as well as playing Cajun accordion and the Uilleann pipes. His warmth, good humor, and ready laugh were a comfort to his family and many friends in the area. Sadly, after over 20 years of battling cancer, Ed passed away in 2012. The annual Celtic music event continues in his honor.
This year Drop o’ the Pure will be headlining our musical lineup. They are a high energy Celtic pub rock band, playing an array of covers from traditional to modern. Their lineup consists of guitars, accordion, mandolin, bass, fiddle, percussion, drums, uilleann pipes, and tin whistle. Also performing are Marshall Goers and Lucy Allen. We will have the Hot Foot Clogging Studios on site offering a dance exhibition of Irish dance and the evolution of Appalachian clogging rooted in traditional Irish dance.
We will be livestreaming the entertainment on our YouTube Channel starting at 11 am. Lucy Allen and Marshall Goers will play from 11 am – 12 pm. The Hot Foot Clogging Studios will exhibit the evolution of Irish step dancing to modern day clogging from 12-12:45 pm. Daniel Hendrix will play the Uilleann Pipes from 12:45 to 1 pm and will join his band Drop o’ the Pure from 1:15-3 pm.
There will be lots of other things to see on December 19th as Hagood Mill hosts a variety of folklife and traditional-arts demonstrations. The Mill will be running and the holiday grits will be a grinding. Living history demonstrators will have the option to set up at the Heritage Pavilion with the artisan vendors, or to stay in their regular spots at the Historic Site. We encourage visitors to ask questions of the artists, gain insight, and if you wish, spend a little money to secure a Traditional Arts treasure of your own. There will be an artisan market with a cherry picked selection of the area’s artisans.
Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be joining us for the day. The Heritage Pavilion is closed in with tarps and will be heated with propane heaters. As always, we encourage visitors to bring their own seating and to bundle up. The bonfire will be lit and s’mores will be a roastin’! Come get toasty with us by the fire.
There promises to be lots to do and lots of fun! Admission to the Heritage Pavilion is $10.00 per person aged 13 and up. It is $5 per person aged 2-12. There is no parking fee. There is NO admission fee to visit the historic site, including the Hagood Mill and the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site.
