Southern Adirondack Homesteading Festival
From April 26-28, people from all around are invited to attend the Southern Adirondack Homesteading Festival.
The weekend-long event will be hosted at the Washington County Fairgrounds (located at 392 Old Schuylerville Road, Greenwich, NY 12834). Guests can expect to hear from several different speakers, enjoy food trucks, and participate in a variety of hands-on events. The whole family is sure to learn something new, and have lots of fun in the process.
This year’s keynote speaker is Jill Winger, traveling to New York for the first time all the way from Wyoming. She bought her homestead in 2008 with her husband, and fell in love with the old fashioned lifestyle.
However, she found it hard to find people who shared her interests, which led to the creation of The Prairie Homestead. “I needed an outlet and so I decided to start a blog,” said Jill. As she posted more about her lifestyle, her views began to grow as well. Today, The Prairie Homestead reaches an immense audience and obtains millions of views daily. In addition to her online space, she has released multiple books. In 2019, she published The Prairie Homestead Cookbook, and in 2023 she published Old Fashioned on Purpose which instantly became an Amazon best seller. In addition to her publications, she also has amassed over 7 million downloads on her podcast Old Fashioned on Purpose.
Through owning a homestead and working on her platform, Jill discovered her love for entrepreneurship. She runs Genuine Beef Company, shipping grass-finished beef nationwide. She is also the owner of the Chugwater Soda Fountain, Wyoming’s oldest operating soda fountain. “The soda fountain was in pretty bad shape when we bought it,” explained Jill, “I wouldn’t say it was easy, but it’s been really worthwhile just to see the community rally around it.”
Overall, Jill’s goal is to help people realize that becoming a homesteader or living a more old-fashioned lifestyle, is obtainable to everybody. “If they have this same inclination that I do toward old-fashioned things I want them to know it’s possible and they don’t have to have a lot of land. They don’t have to have a big fancy farmhouse, but there’s a lot of really good things that come to us when we start to become producers instead of just consumers,” said Jill.
During the event, Jill will be giving two talks. The first focuses on why homesteading matters overall and is a worthwhile thing to do, regardless of where you live. Her second talk will be a more interactive discussion of the secrets to an old fashioned kitchen; centering around how to make more food at home.
There will also be time scheduled into the day for a Q&A with Jill. People should leave the event feeling inspired and more confident in their own abilities, regardless of where they live. “That’s one of my biggest passion points,” shared Jill, “Is that you do not need acres of land to do this. You can do so much even in just a neighborhood, even in an apartment. This is really a mindset in my opinion.”
The event will kick off on Friday, April 26 with self-guided farm tours. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy multiple different food trucks, entertainment, and demonstrations without an admissions charge.
Starting Saturday, be sure to register ahead of time and get your ticket to participate in all the different activities. There are many different options for registration such as day passes, family packages, and weekend passes. Whether you can come for one day or enjoy the whole weekend, there is an option for you.
These days will be filled with even more great speakers and hands-on activities including: Gardening 101, Beekeeping, Maple Production, Advanced Soap Making, and more.
In addition, there will be several classes covering homestead entrepreneurship, perfect for homesteaders looking to venture into the business world. This family friendly event is perfect for anyone regardless of their experience level. Whether you are going to learn more about what you already do at home, are just starting, or have no clue where to begin.
The Adirondack Homesteading Festival is a great way to connect with a community of people who share a passion for bringing an old-fashioned lifestyle back into the modern world.
To buy tickets or see the full schedule of events, you can visit their website at www.adkhomesteading.com.