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A desire to slow down and feel more connected to the earth is what leads many people to consider homesteading. Many of the skills our grandparents and their ancestors took for granted have been lost in our modern society.
It was with this in mind that Ann Crouse of Mountain Home decided to organize the first North Central Arkansas Homestead Expo last fall and to bring it back this month. Crouse moved to the area in the middle of COVID-19 after her husband died in 2020. She said it offered her a new perspective on life as a widow and empty nester who had just lost her purpose for living.
“I thank God I had just begun homesteading four years earlier on a one-acre tract in Northwest Arkansas,” she said. “This is where I really found God. I was married to an incredible man who had a degree in agriculture, and he taught me about gardening and aquaponics, but more than that. He taught me about what truly matters.”
Gardening and aquaponics are just a few topics that will be demonstrated at the second annual North Central Arkansas Homestead Expo on September 28-29 at the Mountain Home Berry Farm. Other classes include meat processing, cheese crafting, canning techniques, soap production, herbalism, beekeeping and organic soil amending.
The homestead expo last fall was held at the Marion County Fairgrounds. Crouse said it was a huge success.
“Not from a financial standpoint, but from hearing the feedback of participants, vendors and visitors,” she said. “One of the biggest responses was, ‘That’s a lot of great information, almost too much to absorb in one day.’ This year we are implementing those changes through the help of Alison at the Mountain Home Berry Farm.”
At last year’s homestead expo, Crouse met Alison Goin, who owns Mountain Home Berry Farm, with her husband, Todd.
Alison and Todd Goin visited Mountain Home in 2021 and knew it was where they were supposed to be. “We came from a small acreage where we grew lots of produce and a small plot of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries, as well as an orchard with peach, apple, plum and cherry trees,” Alison Goin said.
After Goin turned 50, she felt unsure about what the next chapter of their life would look like. “Where we came from, the cost of living, taxes, housing, and the entire environment was becoming untenable,” she said. “It became more and more clear that we needed to be preparing for the future. We felt God calling us to purchase the farm, and so we did.”
Goin said cultivating a community of like-minded people is very important to her. “I am excited to continue the tradition of holding a homestead fair at Mountain Home Berry Farm, and I am even more excited that I met Ann and am connecting with so many other homesteading families,” she said. “We want to see Mountain Home Berry Farm become the hub for those seeking to meet like-minded people, learn more about growing food, and those simply seeking fellowship.”
Crouse said she is most excited about letting area farms host the event in an effort to help them better establish their presence in the community while being able to give back to the community. “We are currently doing the expo only once a year, but hope to start hosting one in the spring and fall,” she said.
“It just feels right,” she said about setting up the North Central Arkansas Homestead Expo. “There’s so many talented folks in this area who are more than willing to share their expertise with others. We have a wide range of folks from diverse backgrounds all over the Twin Lakes area.”
She dedicates the event to her late husband. “I started this as a way to pay tribute to him for being such a wonderful influence on me,” she said. “He helped me get back to a more basic way of living off the earth and the wonderful opportunity I took from that life-changing experience. It’s my goal to continue to grow this into a network of individuals who love sharing their expertise… that help one another in their endeavors. Teaching our children and grandchildren the values that we were so blessed to experience firsthand.”
This year’s Mountain Home Homestead Expo will be held Sept. 28-29 at the Mountain Home Berry Farm on 693 County Road 57, along with the farm’s fall festival. Exhibitors will present throughout the day Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission includes the classes, hayride, petting zoo and maze. Adult tickets are $10 per day, children ages 3-9 are $9 per day, and children two and under get in free. A weekend pass is $18 for adults and $15 for kids. Food trucks will be on-site throughout the event, and live music on Friday and Saturday nights.
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