Donald Trump in Pickens SC: Shuttle service, road closures, parking, weather. What to know.

Saturday's live updates: Donald Trump rallies in downtown Pickens SC. Heat index could top 100.

The city of Pickens is expected to balloon in size Saturday as thousands drive into the small downtown for former President Donald Trump's rally.

In a previous News story, Pickens Police Chief Randal Beach said a crowd of 30,000 is 'very possible' for the event on East Main Street.

Trump, who enjoys immense popularity in Upstate SC, has remained a front-runner in the Republican primary field despite facing federal criminal charges related to classified documents and mismanagement of campaign funds. The 45th president will want to woo the first-in-the-South primary voters who are looking at an expansive primary field, including former SC Gov. Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott of SC.

Gates open at 9 a.m. for Trump's campaign event on Main Street and Trump is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m., with guest speakers beginning at 11 a.m. The Pickens Independence Day Spectacular wraps up at 9 p.m. with fireworks at dusk at Bruce Field.

Saturday's live updates: Donald Trump rallies in Pickens SC. Tens of thousands expected downtown.

More details about general admission tickets can be found here.

SC Democrats: Trump policies hurt working families

Ahead of Trump’s visit, South Carolina Democrats were focused on spotlighting Trump’s policies and its effects on working-class residents.

S.C. Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain brought up Trump’s controversial 2017 tax reform law, which offered tax cuts to businesses and individuals. Referring to it as the “GOP tax scam”, Spain said even though the law had promised to reduce a middle-class family’s tax burden, the results were the opposite.

Instead of helping working families, Spain said the tax law had benefited the rich by providing tax giveaways to the wealthiest Americans and corporations. Meanwhile, American jobs were shipped overseas.

“The data speaks for itself. The richest 5% of South Carolinians saw over half of the benefits from Trump's tax law while working families received very little,” she said.

The Tax Foundation report said the 2017 law reduced federal taxes for households on every income level. The bottom 20% saw their tax burden fall from 13% in 2017 to 12.5% in 2018. Meanwhile, the top 1% households saw an increase in their taxes from 25.5% in 2017 to 25.9% in 2018.

But a Brookings Institution report said that though the law had promised a boost in revenues, so much that it would spur growth in profits and higher wages and “pay for itself," the law had resulted in lower revenue collection and couldn’t offset the revenue loss from tax cuts.

Spain also tacked on Trump’s proposal to shut down the Appalachian Regional Commission, which supports economic development in the state. The Democrat pointed out Pickens, where Trump will be this weekend, is among South Carolina's Appalachian counties.

Shifting gears, Spain compared Trump’s track record with the Biden administration’s work.

“In the past two and a half years we've seen an incredible shift away from Trump's failed trickle-down policies under President Joe Biden,” she said, adding that Biden’s policies focused on growing the middle class. “We’ve a heard a lot about “Bidenomics” this week, and that's because it's working,” she said.

She mentioned declining inflation rates and the recent Bureau of Labor jobs report where employers added 339,000 employees on their payrolls despite fears of an economic slowdown.

“Donald Trump has never put the American people first. He uses his power to line the pockets of special interest donors at the expense of working families and he would do the same if he got elected again,” Spain said.

Parking in Pickens

There are a host of designated parking lots around the city of Pickens.

Click here for the complete list.

Shuttle service is available for these three locations from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The drop-off point is where Ann Street meets Main Street. To return to your parking location, you will be picked up where Ann Street meets Main Street.

∎Pickens High School – 150 Torch Dr., Pickens, SC 29671

∎Hagood Mill – 138 Hagood Mill Rd., Pickens, SC 29671

∎Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative – 734 W. Main St., Pickens, SC 29671

Road closures in Pickens

Closed Thursday at 7 p.m. through Saturday at 6 a.m.: East Main Street from Lewis Street to Pendleton Street.

Closed Saturday at 6 a.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m.: Lewis Street; Court Street; Ann Street to Jonas Street; Pendleton Street; Garvin Street; S. Cathrine Street.

Showers, thunderstorms in Saturday's forecast

There is a chance of showers Saturday morning before 8 a.m. then a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. The forecast calls for mostly sunny and hot conditions with a high near 92 degrees and the heat index rising to as high as 101. The chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Law enforcement will be 'significant' in Pickens

Beach said there will be a significant law enforcement presence to maintain peace and order during the Trump rally.

Agencies joining the Pickens Police Department will be Pickens County Sheriff's Office, State Law Enforcement Division, the S.C. Highway Patrol and the Secret Service.

Officers will be on the lookout for hostilities between pro- and anti-Trump attendees.

"Because it's a political event, there are people that have diametrically opposed opinions," Beach said. "We recognize that on either end of the spectrum, it can be emotional, people passionate about their views. I don't care what your political views are, anytime you see people exercising First Amendment rights, peacefully, that should be a joy."

Letter: Pickens' welcoming Donald Trump for Independence Day is 'beyond ironic'

Pickens business closures during Trump rally

The Secret Service requires businesses/buildings located in the secure area on E. Main between Hwy 178/Pendleton St. to Legacy Square to be closed on Saturday, July 1 until 3:00 pm.

All other businesses/buildings on Main Street can operate on a regular schedule during the July 1 event.

Guest speakers and lineup

Guest speakers begin at 11 a.m. There will also be a performance by the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir.

Here's the lineup:

∎Governor Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina

∎Senator Lindsey Graham, United States Senator for South Carolina

∎Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina

∎Treasurer Curtis Loftis, Treasurer of South Carolina

∎Rep. William Timmons, U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 4th District

∎Rep. Russell Fry, U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 7th District

∎Hon. André Bauer, Former Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina

Here's the list of Secret Service prohibited items

∎Aerosols

∎Alcoholic beverages

∎Balloons

∎Balls

∎Banners, signs, placards

∎Drones and other unmanned aircraft systems

∎E-Cigarettes

∎Explosives of any kind (including fireworks)

∎Firearms

∎Glass, thermal and metal containers

∎Laser lights and laser pointers

∎Mace and/or pepper spray

∎Noisemakers, such as air horns, whistles, drums, bullhorns, etc.

∎Packages

∎Spray containers

∎Structures

∎Supports for signs/placards

∎Weapons

∎And any other items that may pose a threat to the security of the event as determined by and at the discretion of the security screeners.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Donald Trump set to rally in Pickens SC. Here's what to know.