Rooted in Community Online Gathering

THE WORD ON THE (COUNTRY) ROAD

  • Where to begin? Well…. thanks! Thank you for spearheading an event that promotes wholesome values and a learning experience that inspires us to set goals and dream. Our minds are stirring with ideas and our bellies are full of happiness! We hope to see you next year.

    2015 Attendee
  • I enjoyed getting to meet other like-minded people, and learn from their experiences. The hands-on really helped solidify the learning.

    David Asher Cheesemaking Workshop Participant
  • Loved the atmosphere, the community, everyone getting together for a common love of doing things with our hands, and becoming more sustainable. Great networking and lovely new encounters.

    2019 Attendee
  • The Hempcrete workshop was mind blowing. Also the humanure compost…. wow!

    2019 Attendee
  • I loved my workshops, the camping & the food!!!

    2019 Attendee
  • The workshops were very educational and hands-on. Not only am I going to use the skills that I learned but it gave me the confidence to use the skills and to share that knowledge with others.

    2019 Attendee
  • The overall atmosphere of being surrounded by like minded people was amazing. There was something for everyone!

    2019 Attendee
  • This festival fills me with joy because I found my people! You can’t always talk about worm composting or growing your own food or harvesting hyssop with people at the coffee shop or at work. At the festival you can! I love it! I learn so much.

    2019 Volunteer & Attendee
  • There were great, intimate, hands-on learning opportunities in a very positive, relaxed atmosphere.

    2019 Attendee
  • I love that there is no age barrier to learning at the fest. The young can learn from the old and the old can certainly learn from the young!

    2019 Volunteer + Attendee
  • The whole festival was great. It was well organized and the workshops topics were interesting. I wish I could have attended them all!

    2019 Volunteer + Attendee
  • My favourite part was when the rain was pouring down. Everyone I saw was smiling and continuing to enjoy themselves. People made space for one another in the tents and under awnings. People gathering around the fire to dry out clothing and warm themselves was definitely a highlight.

    2019 Volunteer + Attendee
  • Seeing people sharing food that they prepared over the fire was nice. The group was quite diverse and people were sharing lots of valuable information about their areas of expertise. It was such a treat to see a community spontaneously develop like that.

    2019 Volunteer + Attendee
  • I loved the composting toilets, infrastructure and the feel of the grounds.

    2019 Attendee
  • I loved the zero waste goal of the festival and I’m super impressed with how close you came to achieving it! I also love everyone’s enthusiasm – from the exhausted hosts, through to the volunteers and right down to the participants – everyone seemed excited to be there and ready to share their experiences/knowledge.

    2019 Teacher & Attendee
  • I loved everything! And I’m not just saying that cuz it’s an easy answer! It was a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to come again.

    2019 Attendee

Cultivate community, connect with nature, grow skills - together.

Hello from Cityfolk Farm, home to the DIY Homesteader Festival and our hands-on, small group workshops. We welcome you to the prairie homestead we steward – 80 acres of forest, marsh, and meadow, a stone’s throw from Lake Winnipeg, near Thalberg, Manitoba, in Treaty 1. It’s a place where you can come to plant your feet on the ground, open your heart to the wide open prairie sky, and reconnect with skills of the past and each other.

The farm and festival are on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation, on Treaty 1 territory. We are neighbours to the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation.

 
Why are we spending time creating shared space and educational events? We believe in connection. All the kinds. Connection to nature. As plant-lovers, homesteaders, farmers, builders; urban and rural. Connection to each other. Coming together to take the next step toward our individual homestead dreams, and the collective goal of leaving the earth a better place for future generations. We believe that it’s time for change. Time to stop viewing homesteading and farming through a narrow lens. We believe that all people should have the opportunity to reconnect. To learn how to grow good food. How to prepare that food in nourishing ways. To identify, harvest and tap into relationship with plants. To ethically raise bees and animals. And so, so much more. We believe that it’s time for all of us to roll up our sleeves, grab a shovel, and dig into learning, growing, and reconnecting – together. We explicitly invite – and encourage – members of under-represented or marginalized populations to join in this community as teachers and learners: this includes, but is not limited to, LGBTQ2+ and BIPOC folks.