(Source: Puyallup Herald)
By Andrew Fickes, Puyallup Herald, Wash.
June 14--Over the past weekend, the Puyallup Fair and Events Center became a destination spot for people attending the inaugural Mother Earth News Fair.
People from as far as the Midwest, the East Coast and south to California, attended the twoâ?"day event seeking and providing resources regarding green and sustainable building, beekeeping, organic gardening, heirloom vegetables, organic craft beer breweries, alpaca farming, clean energy, herbal medicine and much more.
"This event provides nourishment for people who are yearning to learn more," said Mark Anderson, a passionate volunteer who manned the Kids' Tree House stage Saturday morning with his girlfriend, Tanya Houston.
"We just planted our first garden this year and we're collecting rain water from the roof into a cistern," Houston said.
On the grounds, several eating places included grass-fed beef hamburgers and also organic donuts. Of course, lines for these two eateries were extremely long.
Mother Earth News, a national magazine publication described as the original guide to living wisely, presented the weekend event -- one of three of its kind in the United States this year.
The target demographic for the fair were Mother Earth News subscribers and anyone with an inkling of curiosity as to what homesteading is all about, a buzz word becoming more and more popular in the 21st century.
In the June/July 2011 issue of Mother Earth News, an editorial describes homesteading as once a "rural enterprise," but now open to even those living in an "urban apartment" setting.
Homesteading is basically fulfilling self-reliance by growing homegrown nutritious food, establishing a secure shelter and freeing oneself of financial worry, according to the magazine.
The magazine goes on to say that homesteading in past generations was once only about survival but today, it is often art.
For two people who attended the animal husbandry exhibit, homesteading is serious.
"I came to get more information about goats, pigs and sheep," Elizabeth Gonder said. "I have a one-acre property and I want to learn about how to be more sustainable because of the economy."
Glen Hilts, a resident of Kelso and a Mother Earth News subscriber, came to the fair looking for information on raising cows and pigs. Recently, Hilts and his grandkids and children all moved in together under the same roof to save money.
"We bought a two-acre property and started raising chickens," he said. "We're thinking of bringing in cows or pigs. We want to learn how to produce food for ourselves.