To the wider world, Red Wing is a brand of popular hiking and work boots -- a means for getting to and from places.

But the Mississippi bluffs city that lent its name to the footwear is going places in a different way -- by building a reputation for roots music and a little Highland fling.

Just off Hwy. 61 in southeast Minnesota, a relatively new venue has joined Red Wing's main performing-arts center, the Sheldon Theatre, and the 13-year-old Anderson Center, an artists' retreat.

Hobgoblin Music, a music center, instrument workshop and concert venue north of town, has been hotting up the music scene in the city of 16,000. With a converted barn and grassy amphitheater, Hobgoblin has become a destination for roots and blues musicians.

On Saturday, it hosts Blues at the Barn, an afternoon festival featuring, among others, blues poet Ray Bonneville, alt-folk artist Pieta Brown and "Prairie Home Companion" vet Dave Moore.

"We are not just selling music and musical instruments, but a way of life," said harpmaker Gary Stone, who with his wife, Eve, transformed a five-acre farmstead into a site for concerts and classes.

The blues festival is the latest offering at the Barn, which also has held concerts of Celtic, bluegrass and folk music in the converted hayloft.

"There's something about playing folk and blues and roots music in that kind of space because it feels so authentic," said Ellen Stanley, a banjo player and employee of Red House Records, the 25-year-old Twin Cities-based folk and roots music label that is presenting Saturday's festival. "The venue is cool, with a great sound system and a homey vibe."

Prop master

Founder and master woodworker Gary Stone, 61, a St. Paul native, moved to Red Wing nearly 40 years ago. A carpenter who installed cabinets and designed kitchens, Stone used to repair furniture. And he has made props for plays at the Sheldon Theatre.

But his true passion is making instruments, especially Irish harps, which he builds out of maple, cherry and walnut. The instruments, used in concerts, classrooms and hospices, are in demand worldwide, especially in Japan and Europe.

Stone also makes dulcimers. And he is thankful that so far he has no competition from the Chinese, masters of mass production.

"I would be finished," he said. "It's not lucrative, but it's my passion."

Stone and his wife, also 61, moved into the gently sloping property in July 2001 and promptly set about converting it. The ground level is now a workspace where he makes his instruments. A retail space with instruments, recordings and sheet music occupies the second floor.

The Stones kept many of the old farm fixtures and added new ones. The third-floor hayloft, with about 2,400 square feet, holds 125 for concerts. The amphitheater, at the bottom of a hill, can accommodate 1,000 spectators.

Headliners at the Barn have included folk artists John Gorka and Laura MacKenzie.

While the Stones have a growing clientele of musicians and students, those who have taken in concerts or played there say that they appreciate the fact that the Barn, as it becoming known, offers a cultural venue in southeastern Minnesota.

"What makes the Barn so special is the real rootedness in the community," said Katryn Conlin, a string-bass player and guitarist who is a member of the band Long Time Gone and who has played at the venue. "I don't know where the people come from, but Gary and his wife get a great audience over there. And it definitely helps to build a sense of community."

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390