Tent 1

As a veteran craft interpreter and museum educator at Middleton Place, Doug Nesbit has exhibited to thousands of tourists and school children, imparting his knowledge and craftsmanship of the art of coopering.  For 13 years he has been crafting buckets, kegs, and barrels and has completed over 196 vessels which are sold to collectors worldwide.  Using wood directly from the tree and employing traditional methods and tools, he focuses on painstakingly replicating this lost artistic endeavor and by doing so, keeps its practice alive.  Watch him craft buckets and barrels that stand up to the test of time.

Tent 2

With a yearning borne from her ancestors' genes, Parker Brown-Nesbit has been interested in weaving since she was five years old.  A 22 year veteran, she began seriously pursuing her craft 13 years ago and, as she states, has been compulsively weaving for the last eight years.  She has utilized all types of yarns spun from the wool of sheep and Angora rabbits and agricultural products such as linen and cotton.  Using either a rigid Hettle loom or a portable laploom (one of the most ancient types of looms used by weavers), she creates works of art in the form of purses, sashes, blankets, and material for authentic historical clothing.

Tent 3

Curator of Living History at Roper Mountain Science Center, Michael Weeks uses his childlike enthusiasm and love of history to demonstrate traditional toys and games that children played in the 18th and 19th centuries.  From familiar games such as hopscotch, jacks, and marbles to more obscure past times such as Bilbo, trundling, wimmy diddles and graces, participants will enjoy visiting yesteryear's simpler times.

Tent 4

A descendent of a grist mill operator, Alan Warner began looking for all the mill sites in Pickens County in 1990, discovering sixty-five mill sites in all.  Credited with restoring and improving the Hagood Mill Historic Site, Alan oversaw the mill's re-opening in April 1997.  He operates the mill one weekend a month, maintaining the equipment of the mill, repairing the waterwheel, sharpening the stones and producing the best quality stone ground corn meal, grits and wheat in the upstate.  He will be demonstrating the art of milling on a small portable grist mill.

Tent 5

A talespinner who has achieved national recognition (2003 first runner up in the National Storyteller of the Year contest), Thom Bristow portrays Persimmon Plumbottom, a folk character who spins stories about his family living in Appalachia.  Since many of the tales that have been passed down in the Appalachian Mountains originated with the Scottish people, Thom visited Scotland this summer and was invited to tell a few tales at an international conference of storytellers.  He is a registered artist with the SC Arts Commission and has organized and presented at many events on the state, national and international levels for the last 30 years.  His humorous stories and songs accompanied by a tenor guitar will delight audiences of all ages.

Tent 6

Thousands of hand stitches go into the making of a quilt, and Jackie Patton will show us the lively patterns, shapes, and materials that make a quilt an heirloom.  Having researched the meanings of quilt patterns, she will demonstrate the timeless forms while explaining their historical significance.  Jackie has perfected this art form for almost 10 years and will encourage visitors to piece together remnants of fabric to be made into a commemorative quilt.

Tent 7

Mike Green began working with glass about five years ago when an artisan from Mississippi, Toney Harris, taught him how to work with the unusual substance.  Harris showed Mike important basic techniques and styles, and since that time, Mike has been experimenting with forms, styles, and techniques that have made his artglass renowned and treasured by collectors.  Watch him form intricate baubles and utilitarian pieces with a flair for traditional and timeless artistry.

Tent 8

A nominee for the 2010 National Folk Fellowship Award, Ernie Mills has practiced his traditional folk skill of creating decoys that are both beautiful and utilitarian for over 50 years.  A third generation carver, as a child he spent the summers with his grandfather in North Carolina, was given his first knife, and was taught to carve at the age of 8.  In the 1980's Ernie started making traditional working decoys, using techniques that he had been taught as a young man.  All of his decoys are made using hand tools such as hatchets, chisels, and knives.  He demonstrated decoy carving at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, and his works appear in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Come by and visit while he carves decoys that are at home in the water as well as in museums.

Tent 9

Cultural historian, artist, author, and Jean Laney Harris Folk and Traditional Arts award recipient, Nancy Basket takes her name and the work she does from her Cherokee grandmother, Margaret Basket.  While making baskets from pine needles, she tells traditional Cherokee stories.  She has presented at colleges, pow wows, museums, and schools across the Southeast, and she shares her culture and artistic skills with those wanting to learn about her ancestors and their cultural contributions.  Listen to stories of her Cherokee ancestors as you learn to weave beautiful creations using a few pine needles.

Tent 10

Tom Benko, an avid collector and restorer of antique clocks for over 40 years, learned the art of clock repair and building as a young boy because he was always fascinated with "all things mechanical."  As a former owner of The Village Timepiece, he has established himself as a provider of quality restorations and repairs.  Among those clocks he has restored include rare items from America and Europe, dating back to the 1700's.  He is eager to share his knowledge and skills with other collectors and will demonstrate how to restore time pieces of exquisite quality, history, and craftsmanship.

Tent 11

A 2009 Jean Laney Harris Folk Heritage Award recipient, Joseph Legree has been recognized for his net weaving skills and for his work in preserving a folklife tradition of the Gullah culture.  A community partner with Penn Center for more than 20 years, Legree contributes to the oral history and folklife of the Gullah people by demonstrating his craft.  He learned the art of cast net making from a fellow St. Helena resident, Mr. Harry Owens, when they worked together on an oyster boat.  Legree weaves nets for fishing and shrimping and bases the size of the net on the height of the caster.  The intricate weaving skills required for the completion of a net will fascinate visitors.

Tent 12

Philip Cheney has presented versions of songs from the American Civil War to a wide range of audiences:  from battle re-enactments to conventions, from college classes to weddings.  Believing that participation is essential to the learning process, he encourages his audiences to join in when he presents a song while accompanying himself on the five-string banjo.  Slap your knees and hum along as he presents popular songs sung by the Blue and the Gray.