Come out for the 45th Ole Gilliam Mill Park “Crank Up” event on Saturday, May 16th and Sunday, May 17th! The old engines (steam and hit & miss) will be started up and the old sawmill will be running, grist mill, shingle & tobacco stick cutters. There will be several demos throughout the weekend including blacksmith, weaving, clothes washing. Enjoy browsing many vendors, historical exhibits, antique tractors, tractor rides, music, food, activities for the children and more! Enjoy time at the longest covered bridge in North Carolina!

Once a year we “Crank up” the old equipment and run demonstrations. From 9:00AM-5:00PM you can see an old sawmill in operation, a “hit & miss” motor driven log splitter, and a variety of of uses for “hit and miss” engines of all sizes. You can also see a liquor still in operation, and weaving demonstrations. In addition, you can take a tour of the park behind a 1950’s tractor, watch a blacksmith at work, and eat some ice cream. The grist mill will be cranked up for demonstration but we will not have cornmeal or grits for sale. Once again, the main food concession will be run by Stubbs BBQ! ​ We will also have food trucks and a variety of vendors. (Please see the Vendor tab if you would like to be a vendor. The Crank-Up is always the weekend after Mother’s Day.