Hartwell, Georgia, has a story to tell, and on a hot day this spring, the community came together for an entire day dedicated to the stories, sounds, and traditions of this small town of 4,500 people. In this episode, the town’s economic development director and the owner of the local blues music venue, High Cotton Music Hall, come together to reflect on the themes of the Porch Songs & Public Voices Festival, what makes Hartwell special (spoiler: it’s the people), how the town came to be a destination for blues lovers, and how culture foster the sense of community that makes the town somewhere people want to live and visit. Show notes and transcript available at statehumanities.org/bythepeoplepodcast.