The Homestead Festival Is Coming to Maury County's Backyard, and It's Bigger Than Ever

The two-day celebration of land, family, and self-reliance returns June 5-6 with Joel Salatin, Lee Greenwood, Rory Feek, and 25-plus voices from the front lines of American homesteading.

COLUMBIA, There is a hunger spreading across America right now, and it has nothing to do with grocery store shelves. People are hungry for something older and truer: the knowledge of how to grow a tomato, raise a chicken, put up a jar of jam, and hand something real to their children. On June 5 and 6, 2026, one of the country's most remarkable gatherings of that spirit will take place just an hour south of Nashville, on a 100-acre working farm that has quietly become one of Middle Tennessee's most talked-about destinations. The Homestead Festival is back, and for anyone who has ever looked at the land rolling along the Duck River and felt the pull to do something with it, this is the weekend to pay attention.

The festival describes itself simply: a place to learn how to grow your own food, raise animals, keep bees, preserve a harvest, and homeschool your children. But the lineup assembled for the 2026 edition goes well beyond a weekend workshop. Joel Salatin, the Virginia farmer and author who has spent decades arguing that food produced with integrity tastes better and builds stronger communities, headlines the educator roster. Temple Grandin, whose work in animal behavior has changed the way farmers think about livestock welfare, joins him. Rory Feek, the Grammy-winning country artist and widower whose story of faith, family, and life on a Tennessee farm has moved millions, will perform and speak. The entertainment stage features Lee Greenwood, Shenandoah, Terri Clark, and The Cleverlys, among others, making this as much a music festival as a farming one. Live music is scheduled every night and during the lunch hour both days.

The farm's founders describe their own journey the way a lot of Maury County families might recognize: blessed with a home and a life, but longing for something more rooted. They started putting seeds in the ground and found that the act of farming changed not just their pantry but their family. The festival grew out of that experience, out of a desire to share what they'd learned with people who felt the same pull. The timing could not be more apt. In the years since empty store shelves reminded Americans how fragile a supply chain can be, interest in homesteading has surged. The festival exists at the intersection of that anxiety and its best possible answer: practical knowledge, real community, and a return to the kind of self-reliance that built this region.

The 2026 event features more than 200 vendors offering homestead goods and gear, hands-on demonstrations in wood turning, leather crafting, and animal care, and a dedicated Lil' Homesteaders Area for children with face painting, a corn pit, and a bounce house. Tickets range from General Admission to VIP passes that include reserved seating, breakfast both mornings, and a bag of festival goodies. Children five and under are admitted free. The festival grounds are located approximately one hour south of Nashville. Tickets and the full speaker schedule are available at thehomesteadfestival.com. This is the kind of event that reminds you that the values Maury County has always lived by, faith, hard work, knowing your neighbor, and stewarding the land, are not going out of style. They're coming back in fashion everywhere else.

For Maury County residents, this festival is a natural fit. The county's agricultural heritage runs as deep as the Duck River itself, and the farming families who have worked this land for generations have been doing homesteading long before it had a hashtag. Whether you're a lifelong farmer looking to sharpen your craft, a young family in Spring Hill wondering how to teach your kids where food comes from, or simply someone who wants to spend a weekend outdoors with people who believe in growing something real, the Homestead Festival is calling your name. Get your tickets before the weekend sells out.

Southern Ridge Farm and The Ridge: Where Faith, Family, and a Proper Meat Counter Come Together

The Cannon family's multi-generational farm and butcher shop is proving that knowing your farmer isn't a luxury, it's a return to common sense.

COLUMBIA, Walk into The Ridge butcher shop and the first thing you notice is the smell. It's clean and cold, the honest scent of a properly run meat counter, with just a hint of hickory smoke drifting underneath. Behind the glass case, cuts of beef and pork are arranged with the kind of care that only comes from people who raised the animals themselves, who know the pastures and the feed and the early mornings that went into every package wrapped in white paper. This is not a grocery store. It is something older and better: the retail face of Southern Ridge Farm, where the Cannon family has been working the land and living out their faith in Maury County for years.

Southern Ridge Farm is the kind of operation that's increasingly rare in American agriculture. Grandparents, parents, and children work side by side here, each generation teaching the next not just how to raise livestock and tend the land, but why it matters. The farm runs on principles that predate industrial agriculture: rotational grazing, careful animal husbandry, and a deep conviction that stewardship of God's creation means doing things right even when shortcuts are available. When the family opened The Ridge, it was a natural extension of that mission. Maury County families deserved meat they could trust, processed with transparency and sold by people who would answer any question about where it came from. Traceability used to be normal. Southern Ridge is making it normal again.

What sets the farm apart isn't only the quality of the pasture-raised beef and pork, though neighbors who've made the switch will tell you the difference on a Sunday dinner plate is undeniable. It's the way the Cannons have woven themselves into the fabric of this community, treating every transaction as a chance to love their neighbor in the most practical way possible. The Ridge offers custom butchering, a variety of cuts that rival any specialty grocer in Nashville, and the kind of personal service where the staff remembers your family's preferences and might throw in a recipe for good measure. That's not a business model. That's a calling.

In a county where farming heritage runs deep but family farms grow scarcer with every new subdivision, Southern Ridge Farm stands as proof of what happens when faith meets fertilizer. The Cannons aren't just selling meat. They're preserving a way of life, one where knowing your farmer isn't a trend but a return to common sense, where the commandment to love your neighbor starts with feeding them well. For Maury County residents who want their food to come from good soil, good people, and good intentions, The Ridge is right here at home.

Downtown Columbia Is Getting Its First Residential Community, 293 Units Coming by Fall 2027

Columbia Main Street says the new apartment development on the east side of downtown marks a first in the city's history and opens a new chapter for the square.

COLUMBIA, For the first time in the city's history, downtown Columbia will have people living in it. Columbia Main Street announced this week that a new residential apartment community is coming to the east side of downtown, off Woodland Street, with more than 293 units expected to be complete by Fall 2027. It is the kind of development that signals something: that people don't just want to visit Columbia's downtown square, they want to wake up there.

The announcement frames the project as a new chapter full of opportunity for a downtown that has been building momentum for years. The 1904 Maury County Courthouse still anchors the square, and the block around it has seen a steady growth of restaurants, music venues, and small businesses over the past several years. Adding nearly 300 residential units to the east side of that core means foot traffic, morning coffee, late-night dinners, and the kind of daily life that turns a destination into a neighborhood. It is a meaningful shift for a city that has historically defined downtown as a place you drive to, not a place you live.

Growth of this kind brings both excitement and responsibility. The question of infrastructure, roads, parking, utilities, and the strain on city services, is one that Columbia has been actively working to address. The city's recently announced Pavement Management Program, which is currently collecting high-resolution data on all 235 centerline miles of city roads, will be critical as development accelerates. Residents near the Woodland Street corridor will be watching closely to see that the city's planning keeps pace with the construction cranes.

Columbia Main Street's tone in the announcement was optimistic, and there is good reason for that. A downtown that people actually live in is a downtown that stays alive after 9 p.m., that supports the small businesses trying to build something on the square, and that gives young families a reason to stay in the city rather than drift toward Williamson County. Whether this project delivers on that promise will depend on how well the city manages the growth that surrounds it. But the ambition behind it is the right kind.

Columbia's New Siren System Is Live, Here's What Residents Need to Know

Twelve strategically placed sirens, funded by a $420,000 federal grant, completed testing on May 11 and are now active across the city.

COLUMBIA, If you heard a siren on the morning of May 11 and wondered what was happening, now you know. The City of Columbia successfully tested its brand-new citywide public safety siren system that day, completing the installation of 12 sirens placed at fire stations, parks, utility facilities, and elevated points across the city. The project, funded through a $420,000 Community Development Block Grant Imminent Threat Program, was completed in partnership with the South Central Tennessee Development District and represents one of the most significant investments in Columbia's emergency preparedness infrastructure in recent memory.

The system is built in layers. Three of the 12 sirens are electric units capable of both audible tones and voice messages, allowing emergency managers to broadcast specific instructions during a crisis. The remaining nine are mechanical sirens designed for maximum range and volume. Together, they form a reliable outdoor alerting network intended to reach residents across the city when severe weather threatens. The sirens activate only when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for specific areas of Columbia, meaning a tornado has been confirmed by spotters or indicated on radar. Mayor Chaz Molder described the project as a reflection of the city's ongoing commitment to protecting residents, and City Manager Tony Massey called it an enhancement to Columbia's already strong foundation of public safety.

There is one critical point every resident should understand: outdoor sirens are designed for people who are outside. Walls, windows, and the noise of a storm can all muffle the sound indoors. The city is strongly encouraging all residents to use multiple alerting methods, including weather radios, mobile alerts, and local media, to ensure they receive warnings regardless of where they are when severe weather strikes. Columbia also offers a free emergency alert service called Hyper-Reach, integrated with the National Weather Service and the federal IPAWS system, which delivers notifications directly to your phone or landline.

To sign up for Hyper-Reach at no cost, residents can call or text the word "Alert" to 931-286-7771, or register online at signup.hyper-reach.com. Future siren tests will be announced in advance on the City of Columbia's website at ColumbiaTN.gov and on the city's official social media channels. Tornado season does not announce itself, and the time to get signed up for emergency alerts is now, not when the sky turns green.

Columbia Is Mapping Every Mile of Road, All 235 of Them

A new data-driven pavement management program will use LiDAR and high-definition imaging to prioritize repairs and stretch taxpayer dollars further.

COLUMBIA, If you've rattled your suspension on a pothole recently and wondered whether anyone at City Hall noticed, here's your answer: they're now using LiDAR to find out exactly how bad it is. The City of Columbia has launched a comprehensive Pavement Management and Preservation Program, partnering with Alfred Benesch and Company and its subconsultant Citylogix to assess every one of the city's 235 centerline miles of roadway with high-resolution imaging and 360-degree data collection. The goal is a long-term, prioritized maintenance strategy that gets the right repairs done in the right order, before small problems become expensive ones.

The program takes a pavement preservation approach, meaning the emphasis is on extending the life of roads that are still in reasonable shape rather than waiting for them to fail completely and then paying far more to rebuild them. It's the same logic a good homeowner applies to a roof: a coat of sealant costs a fraction of a full replacement, and it works far better if you do it before the leaks start. Mayor Chaz Molder framed the investment plainly, saying that investing in infrastructure is investing in the future of Columbia, and that the city is putting the right tools in place to make decisions that will benefit residents for years to come.

Data collection began in April and is scheduled to continue through December, with the final Pavement Management Plan expected to be delivered by the end of 2026. The plan will include budget scenarios, standardized specifications for future projects, and community education materials to help residents understand how repair priorities are determined. City Manager Tony Massey noted that reliable data and advanced analytics will allow the city to prioritize projects more effectively and extend the life of its roadway system.

For taxpayers who have watched road projects stall or seen money spent on patches that don't hold, this kind of systematic approach is exactly what accountability looks like. A city that knows the condition of every road it owns is a city that can defend its spending decisions and plan ahead rather than react to crises. The final plan will be a public document, and residents should expect to see it presented to city leadership before the end of the year.

Maury County Fire Department Graduates 12 New Firefighters from Battalion 3

The 2025-26 recruit class completed more than 400 hours of fire and EMS training before earning their badges this spring.

COLUMBIA, Twelve new firefighters earned their place on the line this spring as the Maury County Fire Department's 2025-26 recruit class, known as Battalion 3, officially graduated after completing more than 400 hours of fire and EMS training. The class began its work in September of 2025 and finished among the most rigorously trained cohorts the department has produced. All 12 recruits passed their Firefighter 1 certification, and 10 of the 12 have already passed Firefighter 2 as well, a mark of preparation that speaks well of both the recruits and the instructors who pushed them.

The graduation of Battalion 3 matters beyond the ceremony. Maury County is one of the fastest-growing regions in Tennessee, and the demands placed on first responders grow with every new neighborhood that goes up along the US-431 corridor or in the expanding communities surrounding Spring Hill. A fire department that is actively investing in training new personnel is a fire department that is trying to stay ahead of that growth rather than scramble to keep up with it. The county's residents should take note and take heart.

The department has been active in the community in ways that go beyond emergency calls. Members recently visited Santa Fe Unit School to assist a fourth-grade science class with an egg drop project, bringing Truck 21 and Engine 31 to campus and spending time with students who may one day be their colleagues. It's the kind of community engagement that builds trust between first responders and the families they serve, the sort of thing that doesn't make the scanner traffic but matters just as much.

To the 12 men and women of Battalion 3: welcome to the job. The people of Maury County are grateful you answered the call. The work is hard, the hours are long, and there is no finer thing to do with your life than run toward trouble to protect your neighbors. Thank you for your service.

The Historic Athenaeum Rectory Opens Its Doors Free of Charge This Month

Columbia's oldest surviving school building, completed in 1837, is offering free admission in May, a rare chance to walk through the county's deep educational and cultural roots.

COLUMBIA, There is a house on a quiet Columbia street that has been standing since 1837, and it holds more of Maury County's story than almost any other structure still upright in Middle Tennessee. The Historic Athenaeum Rectory, the only remaining building from two of Columbia's most important early schools, is offering free admission this month, and for anyone who has ever wanted to understand where this community came from, this is the time to walk through that front door.

The home was built by Nathan Vaught, known as the Master Builder of Maury County, for Samuel Polk Walker, a nephew of President James K. Polk. Walker never lived there. Instead, the first family to occupy the house was that of the Reverend Franklin Gillette Smith, who arrived in Columbia in the spring of 1837 after accepting the position of headmaster of the Columbia Female Institute. Smith and his family loaded their belongings into wagons and made the journey from Virginia, and Walker offered his new home as their residence since it sat adjacent to the school. By 1852, Smith had opened his own institution next door: the Athenaeum, whose name derives from Athena, the goddess of knowledge, meaning roughly the Seat of Knowledge. It was among the first private schools for girls not affiliated with a religion, offering its students advanced mathematics, sciences, foreign languages, musical instruction, and etiquette, the full education of a well-prepared mind.

The Athenaeum operated until 1904, when the property was sold to the City of Columbia for use as a public school. The Columbia Female Institute continued nearby until the Great Depression forced its closure. The school building itself was razed in 1915 to make way for the first Columbia Central High School, and the Institute burned in 1959. Of both institutions, only the Smith family's home remains. Members of the Smith family continued to live there until the last of them, Miss Carrie Smith, passed away. The family then donated the property to the Maury County Chapter of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, which has operated it as a museum ever since.

Walking through the Athenaeum Rectory is a reminder that this county has always placed a high value on education, faith, and the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. The free admission offer this May is an invitation that should not be overlooked, especially for families with children who deserve to know the ground their community stands on. Visit historicathenaeum.com for details on hours and the free day offering.

Summer in Columbia: A Season That Still Feels Like Something

From the Duck River to the courthouse square, summertime in Maury County carries a weight of memory and meaning that no amount of growth can dissolve.

COLUMBIA, Summer arrives in Maury County the way it always has: gradually at first, then all at once. One morning you notice the air smells different when you step outside, heavier and greener, carrying the particular sweetness of the Duck River bottomlands after a warm rain. The courthouse square is full by mid-morning, and by afternoon, the kids who were in school last week are finding every creek and swimming hole their parents pointed them toward a generation ago. This is what summer has always felt like here, and the fact that Spring Hill now has 60,000 people and a General Motors plant making electric trucks hasn't changed it as much as you might expect.

The Duck River, which winds through the county on its way to the Tennessee, is one of the most biodiverse rivers in North America, home to some 50 species of native mussels and more species of fish than you'll find in many rivers twice its size. Generations of Maury County children have grown up learning to read its water, knowing which bends run deep and which gravel bars hold the best spots for an afternoon. Farmers along its banks have measured the seasons by it for as long as anyone can remember. That river is as much a part of summer in this county as fireflies and front porches, and it remains one of the best arguments for protecting what makes this place different from everywhere else growing up around it.

Columbia's downtown square takes on a different character in summer. The Saturday farmers market draws neighbors who haven't seen each other since the last one. The music venues along Main Street throw open their doors and the sound spills out onto the sidewalk on Friday nights. Families who drove through on their way to Nashville stop and linger longer than they planned, eating on the square and wondering why they haven't heard more about this place. The answer, of course, is that places like Columbia don't need to advertise themselves to the people who live here. They know.

As the county grows and the pressures of development push into every corner, there is something worth holding onto in the simple fact of a Maury County summer: the livestock barns at the fairgrounds, the smell of cut hay on a July evening, the way the sky goes pink over the hills west of town just before dark. These are not small things. They are the reasons people stay, the reasons people come back, and the reasons this paper exists. Welcome to summer, Maury County. Hold onto it.