Event Information October 1 2023

Event Skinny
October 14-15, 9:30 am – 5:30 pm
Tent camping is available onsite on a first come, first served basis.

Special Operations Equipment
4631 Highway 70 E
Camden, TN 38320

Agenda is here…
Saturday: We kickoff around 9am Saturday and have sessions through about 5pm. After that, there is great food, campfire hang outs and live music from Slave Two Servant!
Sunday: We kickoff at 9am and have sessions through around 4pm.

Parking
Event parking for all workshops before and after SRF, as well as for SRF, is at the Big Daddy’s lot at the entrance to SOE. It is a $5-per-car available on a first-come, first-served basis. If that lot is full, find parking nearby. $5 includes parking for the add-on workshops.

Doors Open When?
For Self-Reliance Festival: Doors open at 8 am on Saturday, October 14th, and 8 am Sunday October 15th. Check in to get your pass at the registration table at the SOE entrance. Once you have your lanyard, you can just wave it at the people at the gate and they will let you pass. Campers may come after 3pm on Friday, Oct 13.

For the Zero to Hero Ham Radio Workshop: Doors open at 8:30 am on Thursday, October 12th. Check in with Nicole Sauce. Campers may come after 3pm on Wednesday, Oct 11.

For Niti Bali’s Dissolving Illusions event: Doors open at 8 am Saturday, October 14th. Workshop is at 1:30 pm. Please check in with Niti in the Garage. You must also have a Self Reliance Festival Pass to attend this workshop.

For Homestead Advanced Wound Care: Doors open at 8 am Sunday, October 15th. Workshop is at 9:30 am. Please check in with Chuck in the Garage. You must also have a Self Reliance Festival Pass to attend this workshop.

For Chicken Processing: doors open at 7:30 am on Monday, October 16th. Workshop starts at 8 am. Please check in with Nicole at The Circus Tent. Campers may arrive after 4pm on Sunday, Oct 15 unless you have an SRF Pass.

Please talk directly with Andrew for specifics on the Patrolling the Homestead Workshop that is after SRF.

Check-in process: We will have your tickets and lanyard at the check in area at the SOE Entrance starting Saturday morning at 8 am. Once you have your pass you can come and go as you please.

Chairs: We do have some chairs on site, but if you can BYOC (bring your own chair), this really helps us out.

Schwag bags: No Schwag Bags this time! We have created a Schwag Treasure Hunt instead. Check in at the Information Booth for a map.

Camping Schedule

For Self Reliance Festival: You may camp Friday night, but arrive by 7 pm or you might not get in. We lock the gate at night.

For the Ham Radio Workshop: You may camp onsite Wednesday and Thursday night, but you must be on the compound by 6 pm. Once the factory is locked, it is locked. If you are not attending SRF after the Ham Radio workshop, please have your tent packed up before class on Friday.

For the Chicken Processing Workshop: You may camp onsite Sunday night after 4pm. Please be prepared to leave after class on Monday.

Camping Facilities: This is rustic camping – as in you get access to a relatively flat area with trees for tent and hammock camping. Please, no campfires outside the dedicated campfire area, which is monitored by a “fire marshal” who will put it out before he goes to bed.

Sites are not assigned. Just come and set up in the camping area. No cars will be permitted in the campsite area.

Anarchy Presentations MUST happen OFF the gravel area and in a way that does not interfere with scheduled programming. (These are things you decide, last-minute, to teach each other and we LOVE them!)

Ham Radio Food: You get a voucher for lunch from Big Daddy’s with your class. Menu: Meat (beef or chicken), 2 sides, bread (options), bottle of water.

Chicken Processing Food: You get a voucher for lunch from Big Daddy’s with your class. Do bring an apron and/or change of clothing, as this is a hands-on workshop and you may get messy. Menu: Meat (beef or chicken), 2 sides, bread (options), bottle of water

Onsite Food
We currently have TWO vendors who will sell food onsite: Grumpy Acres Farm and Taproot Catering. Breakfast sandwiches, eggs, pulled pork, deli sandwiches, lunch salads (like chicken or ham salad, and more) will be available. Taproot will be providing a Saturday dinner for sale.

The gas station, Big Daddy’s, at the entrance also sells hot food. There may be an additional food vendor or two attracted this week. Other than that you can buy food at area stores and restaurants. See the website FAQs for a partial list of food and supply sources..

Bathrooms
Use the port-a-johns only. No entry to the SOE bathrooms as they are on a septic system.

Digital Passes
As an attendee you are entitled to a 50% discount on the digital pass which will give you access to all recorded sessions approximately one month after the event.

To take advantage of this, get the code from Nicole to buy your digital pass here: https://nicolesauce.podia.com/self-reliance-festival-october-2023/

That same code will work on the March 2023 digital recordings through the month of October!

In looking over the attendee list, we are delighted to see so many of you coming back this fall, and we are excited to meet all the new faces who are coming for the first time. If you are a seasoned festival attendee, could you please do me a favor? Find someone you have not met and make them feel welcome.