The organizer of an event to learn more about homesteading drew several hundred people to Salem on Saturday from a wide area of Southern Illinois.
Michelle Barbee wasn’t sure what to expect, but knew she had fielded a lot of Facebook messages leading up to the event.
“People are coming up to us in the parking lot saying they hope we do it again and its very much needed. So we are planning on doing another one. It’s been very well received.”
Barbee says all of the presentations ranging from poultry, pond health, sheep husbandry, soap making and solar power attracted a crowd.
“Think post Covid a lot of people realized they were kind of on their own for stuff. And I think people are concerned about the health of the economy and the U.S. in general. And people want more control on what’s going on in their lives. There is a tremendous amount of interest from the younger generations. I think they are learning skills their grandparents had that weren’t passed down to them and they are excited about that.”
There was also a presentation on homesteading by a Norris City couple who sold their home in town and moved to ten acres in the country. Jared Westbrook says after building a house, they added cows and other animals and have gone on from there.
“Start small and don’t spend a lot of money. No need to spend a lot. A lot of people that do this as a lifestyle, they repurpose things, they build their own. They get a lot of free stuff that people throw away that you can turn into anything.”
Westbrook is looking forward to retiring from his job and spending all his time on his small farm.
Barbee says she was given a lot of ideas over the weekend on other potential topics for next year. The event was held both outside and inside ATVs and More. Barbee was joined by Becky Phillips in coordinating all the activities and vendors.
Homesteaders Whitney and Jared Westbrook share their experiences of homesteading a ten-acre farm after selling their home in Norris City.
Bill Fulton discusses raising and shearing sheep during one of the presentations.
Vendors talk to visitors at the Homesteading event.
