With the 2017 Spring Gathering getting closer and closer, the time has come to introduce the Presenters and Demonstrators.  These people are coming to the Gathering, volunteering their time and sharing their knowledge in many areas, to share information with everyone attending.  For those that have a business or offer products, they are invited to offer their products at the Gathering.  However, our focus is on education, rather than sales, so there should never be any pressure felt to buy anything.  We just look forward to meeting you, some of you for the first time, some of you again, and learning from one another.  There will be link after introductions for location, date and time, and further information.

Travis Arthur, of Honey Badger’s Hammer, LaRussell, Missouri will be joining us.  He will be set up with 2 grinders and a mobile forge. and will be presenting an introduction into knife making and knife sharpening. Travis will have products available for purchase and will be sharpening blades on site. Pictures and video are allowed during his work and he will have business cards available for those interested. Travis says he got into knife making after researching family history and finding out many of his ancestors were blacksmiths.  He started out doing general blacksmithing but have moved away from it as much due to problems with wrists and shoulder and now focuses mainly on blade and knife making. He has been doing this for over 2 years and in addition to his knife making he enjoys a new sideline which he will surprise with at the Gathering.  He also enjoys hunting, fishing, cooking, and learning new things, and music.  All Travis’ products come with a lifetime warranty and he offers discounts to: military, police, fire fighter, EMT, and nurses both active and retired.  We are excited to welcome to Travis as he joins us as a Presenter for the first time.  His talent is sure to draw a crowd at his forge.

JJ Mooneyham will be carding and spinning wool.  She will have a couple of spinning wheels for demonstrating and trying and will be teaching the drop spindle technique.  She will also have an area for kid crafts.   JJ will educate on the sheep to yarn process and then use the crafts section as well to use the wool and yarn. She plans to let participants learn to spin on the drop spindle for kids and may allow a couple of adults to try spinning on the wheels. You will be welcome to take pictures and videos during your time with JJ. JJ and her husband live near Wheatland, a rural community in Hickory County. They have 12 children and 11 grandchildren with #12 on the way. She has been spinning and weaving for over 20 years. She has also been crocheting, knitting and weaving for close to 40 years. She enjoys sharing with others the art of spinning and loves to fish, garden and enjoys other outdoor activities.  JJ is another Presenter we are welcoming for the first time at our Gathering, and I am personally looking forward to spending some time with her learning to use my own drop spindle.

 

Tammy Adams lives 5 miles outside of Miller, Missouri with her wonderful husband of 9 years.  She and Gary have lived on the same farm for 15 years.  They have three sons, Andrew, forever 22 (1989-2011). Tyler, 21. lives in Las Vegas, NV is a EMT and volunteer firefighter, and Preston who is 13 yrs old in the 7th grade.  Tammy says, “I am what most call a crazy chicken lady.  Preston won 2 chicks at the worlds fair fall of 2012.  That started my addiction.  Currently I have 12 roosters and 30 hens with more on the way.”Tammy wanted to grow mealworms for her chickens because in the winter time they really need to protien to stay healthy  So she decided to give it a shot and started growing her own in October of 2016.  She enjoys it so much she decided to start selling them too. Tammy is going to do a presentation on “How to raise mealworms from the beginning.”  She will have a meal worm starter kit complete with instructions that she will offer for $25.00, but she will only bringing one unless someone requests one.  If you would like to purchase a starter kit be sure and let her know as she will need to make more.  Tammy can be contacted directly at tammyla@millertel.net .  Be sure to bring your camera, Tammy doesn’t mind a bit if you take pictures or video as she does her presentation.  You can also see more of Tammy’s homesteading pictures on her Facebook Page.  In addition to her love for family, she enjoys her chickens, gardening, essentials, and healthy eating.  I am looking forward to starting my own meal worms as soon as I learn how from Tammy!

Preston Walker of P-C Hog Farm LLC will be with us to give a presentation to include info about his hogs, feed, setup and what is put into their operation to make it what it is.  Preston and his wife raise hogs for their own consumption and to sell to others for their own food.  Preston takes great pride in raising some of the best hogs in Southwest Missouri, providing pigs that produce lean pork with some of the best we have ever eaten.  His information will be a must for anyone wanting to get into raising their own, or for the modern homesteader who wants provide prime quality meat for their family without the facilities to raise their own.  Preston and his wife life near Jasper, Missouri and started out with a small pen and buying 4 hogs and enjoyed it so much, he began researching and slowly grew to the point he is today.  He raised hogs off and on for 3 years and has been steadily growing his hog business for the last 2 years with high hopes of a lifetime in the business.  Preston will have business cards available for anyone needing to contact him in the future.  Hobbies include woodworking,leatherwork,hunting,and welding. Learn more about Preston and his hog operation at  https://pchogfarmllc.wixsite.com/farm, and visit his Facebook page.

These are just four of our presenters/demonstrators.  Watch for a future post to introduce more presenters and more activities and mark May 20th, 2017 on your calendar as the day to bring the family out and join us for a day of fun and learning to get back to basics in our modern world.  Check event details here.

demonstrations, education, family, gathering, presentations, sharing, spring, Spring Gathering

Share This