FALL 2024 SELF RELIANCE FESTIVAL
THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WORKSHOPS
- SELF RELIANCE BOOTCAMP, OCT 4$250
- ART & SCIENCE OF DE-ESCALATION, OCT 4$250
- FIGHT HACKER: ESCAPOLOGY, OCT 3$275
- SUTURES AND WOUND CLOSURE, OCT 3$275
VIP: GET THE RED CARPET TREATMENT
Get exclusive access at the festival! Get your pass now or upgrade your existing ticket.
$450
ACCELERATE YOUR HOMESTEAD PREPRAREDNESS BUSINESS
LOCATION: 4631 Highway 70 E, Camden, TN 38320
GATES OPEN AT: 8:00 AM
Join us for presentations, demonstrations, vendor exhibits, community, and music!
The Self-Reliance Festival at Special Operations Equipment gives you a close-up view of homesteading, preparedness and building a better tomorrow. Thoroughly practical demonstrations include emergency medical training, growing food, defense dogs, spinning, food preservation, self defense, music, and — most importantly — building strong communities.
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BUILD YOUR HOMESTEAD RIGHT THE FIRST TIME – ZAC BAUER
Explore key pillars and best practices for getting your homestead set up without losing your mind.
BUY THE BEANS – NICOLE SAUCE
Not taking action guarantees failure every time. This talk outlines how to think about your future and the future of your business through good times and crisis by exploring the foundations of how Nicole’s homestead business, Holler Roast Coffee, was built.
BACK YARD COVER CROPS AND SOIL SECRETS – JACK SPIRKO
Learn to improve soil health naturally with cover crops. This session covers selecting, planting, and managing cover crops to improve soil and inputs. Perfect for gardeners and farmers, you’ll discover how to enhance your soil and achieve healthier crops by partnering with nature.
FITNESS AND SURVIVAL – ANGRY PREPPER
STAND STRONG – JOHN WILLIS
This interactive session revolves around self sufficiency, homesteading, building your business and taking ownership for your future. Come and get motivated to make a better future.
NO EXCUSES – AMANDA WILLIS
You can only control yourself – and your reaction to what happens around you. This interactive session explores how to move beyond excuses to action and create your homestead, your health, and your community.
MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN THE AMERICAN COMMUNIST REVOLUTION – BEAR INDEPENDENT
Discover how community strength is crucial in a crisis. We’ll explore practical ways to build strong communities, support each other, and improve communication. Learn from historical events where suburban and rural areas faced challenges and find out how to leave dangerous cities for safer, close-knit communities.
We are our own worst enemies. Learn practical strategies to spot and overcome obstacles, helping you break through limitations and poverty. Build greater success and fulfillment on your homestead by turning challenges into opportunities for growth and progress.
IT MUST BE NICE – TOOLMAN TIM COOK
SO YOU WANT A BIG D? – SONNY PUZIKAS
From abstract to purpose through the tough love of discipline. Discover a blueprint for reasoning and implementing fundamental self-discipline, essential for fulfilling your purpose. Learn how discipline shapes your path and helps you achieve your goals, turning abstract ideas into meaningful accomplishments.
HOMESTEAD RESOURCES: THE NEW HR – KIRI TORGLER
Master the resources of your homestead. Discover practical strategies to optimize your land, time, and efforts for peak productivity. Learn to turn your homestead into a thriving, self-sustaining haven. Let’s rethink resource management and unlock the full potential of your homestead together.
SURVIVIN JOB’S TRIALS – CJ KILLMER
Learn practical strategies for resilience and perseverance to help you emerge stronger from any trial. Transform adversity into personal growth and find strength in the face of hardship.
It’s up to you to set yourself and your family up for success in a world with riding crime rates. How can you do this? When is somsone most liley to strike? how can you look like a hard target and deter things before they get spicy? This session addresses the tangible things you can do to improve home security
PROTECT YOUR FAMILY FROM RISING CRIME – JOEL RYALS
BUILDING REAL WEALTH WITH LOCAL FOOD – ALAN BOOKER
How can you preserve genetic control of your food and the freedom to grow what is most important to you? Join us for a discussion of food sovereignty, community, saving seeds, livestock genetics, and more.
Check out new ways that Brice Devreis of Devries Leather has found to make biochar, a very helpful soil building practice. Well, new is not the best descripotion. We mean NEW TO US!
NEW METHODS FOR MAKING BIOCHAR – BRUCE DEVRIES
HOW TO BUILD YOUR TIKTOK PRESENCE – KYLE PERRAULT
Discover tips for creating engaging content, growing your follower base, and leveraging TikTok’s features to boost visibility. Unlock the secrets to becoming a TikTok influencer and maximizing your impact on the platform.
Learn best practices for processing animals, no matter how small or large, from Backwoods Butcher!
LUNCHTIME MUSIC PRESENTATION – SAM SWANSON
RABBIT PROCESSING OR SHEEP PROCESSING – KYLE PERRAULT
Learn best practices for processing animals, no matter how small or large, from Backwoods Butcher!
Join this two day program for children 5 through 12 years old centered on both fun and educational activities such as cooking without electricity and more.
SELF RELIANCE KIDS – BECKY COOK
USING BUSINESS STRUCTURES FOR OPTING OUT OF REGULATIONS – ALAN BOOKER
We hear buzz words like “PMA” and other things. Join this small group discussion on what has been tried and ways that people are learning to protect themselves from regulation through legal structures. This is not a snake oil “buy my course” discussion nor is it legal advice – merely an exporation of what is possible.
DISTILLING FOR TINCTURES – JASON RAUTBORT
How will you make your tinctures if you can’t get your hands on distilled alcohol? Learn how to make alcohol for tinctures.
CHOOSING YOUR MEDICAL PREPS – CHUCK PEOPLES
Avoiding the pitfalls in your medical preps. What you actually need and will use. How to be properly prepared medically.
- What you need and what you don’t need
- What to prepare fo
- The training you really need
Don the bite suit and see what a well trained defense dog can do. Joel will walk the dogs through an obstacle course and bite demonstrations.
DEFENSE DOG DEMONSTRATIONS – JOEL RYALS
Signature Solar
Solar is for everyone! Check out our solar supplies.
Holler Roast Coffee
Holler Roast Coffee provides much of the event management for Self-Reliance Festival and runs a couple of giant urns of brew.
Special Operations Equipment
SOE hosts Self-Reliance Festival in and around their factory.
Living Free in Tennessee
The podcast that entertains, educates, and empowers you to live the life you choose.
Bearings, Belts & Chain, Inc.
Premier resource for ball bearing and power transmission parts for more than 20 years.
FIND YOUR TRIBE TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FUTURE IT’S UP TO YOU
OCTOBER 5-6
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is your cancellation policy?
October tickets are refundable through August 1, minus processing fees.
Where is the festival?
Self-Reliance Festival
at Special Operations Equipment
4631 Highway 70 E
Camden, TN 38320
Lodging
FREE! Camp overnight at Special Operations Equipment. There’s a composting toilet, water, and a handwashing station.
You may arrive and set up camp on Friday after 3 pm.
Please be entirely off the SOE property by 6pm Sunday.
Lodging closest to SOE property
New Johnsonville
5 minutes away
New Johnsonville Harbor Campground
130 Harbor Cir, New Johnsonville, TN 37134
(615) 319-4433
no website
Deerfield Inn (*closest hotel to SOE property*)
1331 Broadway Ave, New Johnsonville, TN 37134
(931) 535-3889
no website
Camden
under 5 miles / 10 minutes
Best Western Home Place Inn
731-584-2222
Nicest hotel in the area
Country Hearth Inn and Suites
731-584-6666
Birdsong Road area
5 miles / 10 minutes
Cedar Ridge RV Park
3400 Birdsong Rd
Camden, TN 38320
Close to SOE
Birdsong Resort | Marina | Campground
255 Marina Road
Camden Kentucky Lake, Tennessee 38320-9699
(731) 584-7880
Close to SOE
20 minutes plus from SOE
Most affordable
34 miles / 40 minutes from SOE
Pike’s Peak Campground
$10-12
127 Perryville Rd, Parsons, TN 38363
(731) 249-0029
East
15 miles / 20 minutes from SOE
Waverly
Imperial Lodge
504 W Main St #1407, Waverly, TN 37185
(813) 304-5113
no website
South
15 miles / 20 minutes from SOE
Days Inn by Wyndham, Holladay
13845 Hwy 641 N, Holladay, TN 38341
(731) 483-2068
West
27 miles / 35 minutes west of SOE
The Heritage Inn
11790 Lexington St, Huntingdon, TN
North
28+ miles / 36+ minutes north of SOE
farthest, but largest city in the immediate area
Paris Landing RV Park
35 Point Pleasant Road, Buchanan, Tennessee
Larry Richardson: 731.363.3020
Faye Richardson: 731.363.3019
a KOA facility?
Paris, TN
Hotels
Super 8 by Wyndham Paris
1309 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Paris Inn & Suites
1297 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Quality Inn
1510 E Wood St, Paris, TN 38242
Knights Inn Paris
409 Tyson Ave, Paris, TN 38242
Other links
RV, camping, and camping cabin parks in the area
Hotels and motels near Camden, Tennessee
Parking
All participant parking is at Big Daddy convenience store.
Place your parking pass on the dashboard. It’s good Saturday and Sunday.
Please leave valuables at home.
Can I park my RV onsite?
No. Please see “Lodging” for a list of campgrounds in the FAQ.
Food and Supplies
Food and some beverages will be available for purchase. Water is in the orange and white Gatorade urns.
We will serve Holler Roast Coffee – for a freewill donation.
There will be GREAT food vendors on site and the gas station at our entrance (Big Daddy’s) serves pretty good fare.
A Note:
Organizers seek food, drink, and snack vendors. What about you: do you make yummy things?
Please sign up to sell food at Self-Reliance Festival by completing the Vendor application. At least one of your tickets will be complimentary, and you’ll make a few bucks.
For questions, email us at eventmanager@selfreliancefestival.com
Can I bring my dog?
The Willises have dogs trained to defend against other dogs and cannot ensure the safety of your canines.
Certified service dogs only are allowed, but respect the Willises wishes and do not bring them close to the area where the defense dogs are kept. The dogs can and will jump the fence to attack other dogs.
What about bringing children?
There is no discount for youngsters.
Children who behave as adults are welcome. If children become unruly – or if adults act like unruly children – they will be ejected from the event.
We now have a Family Pass! This will get 2 adults and ALL children under 18 into SelF Reliance Festival.
October 2024 will also feature the first ever Self Reliance Kids!
Necessities and Luxuries
This is Self Reliance Festival: when you come, please be equipped to take care of yourself.
The event is held just outside a small rural town. Everything takes place in and around a sewing factory. We can’t entirely take over this production facility, so we fit in among the trappings of doing business and the memorable Willis Collection of Wonderful Items.
While we rent some chairs, bring your own chair if you can, water bottles, clothing for Tennessee and the season, and all the things you need for comfort. Example: Mama Sauce needs a knitting project in order to listen carefully to a speech.
Some attendees have found cellphone service spotty; others have no problem at all. There is no internet onsite unless you are a vendor. We will try to set up a device charging station.
Bathrooms and Kitchens
Attendee toilet facilities are outdoors in the form of porta-johns. Please do not ask to and do not use the factory workers’ rest rooms.
The same is true of the kitchen. In order to feed 300 – 600 people, every attendee must stay out of the kitchen, the areas in front of it, and the restrooms – even those visitors accustomed to using these areas. If you want to cook or chill something, bring a stove and cooler.
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