Local Digest, 3-21-17

South Arkansas Homesteading

Conference to show area gardening

RISON — The South Arkansas Homesteading Conference will be held March 31 and April 1, at the Pioneer Village, 200 Yaney Street in Rison.

Speakers from across Arkansas will be doing educational presentations and demonstrations on topics that relate to developing a self-sufficient, sustainable lifestyle. Topic sessions include gardening, beekeeping, heritage poultry, cheese making, herbs and herbal remedies, homesteading tools, aquaponics and more.

Britt Talent, conference organizer, said the sessions are developed with versatility and practicality in mind. “We like to focus on things that can be practiced in a suburban or rural setting for little to no cost,” he said.

Gates open at 11 a.m. Friday, March 31, with the first session beginning at 1 p.m. and at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 1, with the two session tracks beginning at 9 a.m.In additional to the sessions, the Pioneer Village and the Rison Community Garden will be open for tours. The Pioneer Village is a collection of local buildings that date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The Rison Community Garden consists of 27 raised beds, an 18 feet by 30 feet do-it-yourself high tunnel/hoop house, a compost corral and a “chicken tractor” built from an old swing set. The garden itself was developed as a training grounds to teach people how to grow their own food more efficiently in a small space.

There will also be a variety of ongoing demonstrations on Saturday including blacksmithing, needle arts (sewing, knitting, quilting), 19th century woodworking skills, Dutch Oven cooking and more. There will also be exhibits and live animals on display, including heritage poultry and miniature donkeys. Daily admission is $10 for adults, $5 for youth aged 7-17 years old and free for those 6 years old and under. A two-day pass is $15 for adults and $7 for youth.

For more information, go to www.arkansashomesteader.com or like the “Arkansas Homesteading Conference” page on Facebook. Conference organizer Britt Talent can be reached at 870-325-6412.

Meet Me at the Court sponsoring Spring Clean Up

EL DORADO — Meet Me at the Court will sponsor its third annual Spring Clean Up, held in conjunction with Keep El Dorado Beautiful, from 8 a.m. until noon on Saturday.

The event will be held in conjunction with Keep El Dorado Beautiful and the Keep America Beautiful Great American Cleanup, which is promoted statewide by the Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission.

The annual spring campaign began on March 20 and will continue through May 31.

The group will focus on South Newton, West Block, Hardy, West Wesson and Summit. All volunteers are invited to participate.

A hot breakfast will be served.

Veronica Bailey, founder and chief executive officer of Meet Me at the Court, said the cleanup will be held in memory of her late sister, Sharion Bailey Whitlock.

Bailey has said that Whitlock inspired the creation of Meet Me at the Court to help area youth.

For more information or to volunteer for the cleanup, call Bailey at 870-310-0391, Theodore Bailey at 870-814-6396, Janis Van Hook at 870-314-3481, Valarie Smith at 870-814-1812, or Willie McGhee at 870-314-1441.

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