INSIGHT Magazine September 2014 | Page 14

The Southern Preppers Expo. Southern Preppers Homesteading and Gardening Expo runs Sept. 5-7 at the Oxford Civic Center, featuring preparedness-minded speakers and a multitude of live classes and instructional seminars that provide a variety of survival skills, all of which are free of charge. Don’t get the image of a grizzled survivalist hoarding ammunition and canned beans in a shed — if you do, discard it after a brief appreciation of his can-stacking methods. The expo is meant to appeal to everyday folks tending to gardens where they grow food to save money at the grocery store, learning about natural medicines to save money at the pharmacy or even how to use green energy sources, like solar panels, to drop power bills and become more self-sufficient. Classes touch on subjects like building greenhouses, making do-it-yourself laundry soap at home, how to start a fire and even suturing minor wounds in an emergency. Visitors can learn about keeping and cultivating seeds, using earthworms to build better gardens or creating sustainable food sources. — storms, floods, tornadoes and beyond — and how to prepare for them. Other speakers include Darryl Patton, “The Southern Herbalist,” who specializes in distinguished plant life and Daniel Smith, of +gogreenforliving, who provides instruction on solar heating and alternative construction methods. The expo also features a variety of vendors who provide products that support the survival lifestyle, as well as door prizes, a blood drive and more events to be announced. The Southern Preppers Homesteading and Gardening Expo starts Friday, Sept. 5, running from noon to 6 p.m., then Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the event, classes and speakers is free of charge. For a list of speakers and further information, visit thesouthernpreppers.com and visit thesouthernpreppers. com/schedule.html to see a full schedule of classes and speakers. ✽ Courses also teach survival techniques for a range of situations, like handling firearms, radiation and specialized courses for women’s wilderness survival skills, and ways to use saltwater to create energy cells. Meteorologist James Spann kicks off the three-day event Friday at 12:15, speaking on the subject of emergency weather situations 14 September 2014 INSIGHT