Please CLICK HERE for our Final Schedule and Map PDF for the 2021 Event.
Let me introduce you to the Homemaker’s Highlights. It’s a building swarming with people. The vendor booths are brimming with items to sell and demo, be it health, kitchen, or whatever else pertains to homemakers. Yet, that doesn’t say it all, because when you went someplace special, Mom and Dad would say, “You may pick something to buy if you wish,” maybe stuffing a dollar bill or two in your hand. Well, this is the building that moms bring their children to. There is also an area where seminars are held, five each day. Seminars are brimming to the top with hundreds of attendees and talented speakers.
The first time we were contacted by the local Horse Progress board, which was in 2013, I felt like saying, “What’s Horse Progress Days?” I had heard of it, yet never attended. They told us the need of providing something for the women, and without much consideration, we jumped in (we, as in my husband and I along with our three children.) We were advised to attend HPD in 2013 to get a feel of how things go, which we did. We hopped on a bus and headed for Illinois the next July. That was a huge benefit to us. We started the groundwork for “our” women’s thing. It ended up being such a big project that my husband, Jon, ended up taking care of the seminars, and I took care of the vendors.
Since this was the first time that Ohio had a Homemakers’ Building, we were given a lot of liberties on how we wanted to do things. We ended up being sold out in vendor spaces on the inside and out, and our seminars were very well attended. Let’s just say that our speakers were phenomenal!
So, for 2021, we are gearing up to present you with another round of vendors (way more than in 2014), plus some very interesting and beneficial seminars which we greatly anticipate. Watch for the bios of our seminar speakers throughout this book. We have also upgraded to the Dean Beachy building which we are excited for.
Something new will be a wagon rental. HPD covers a lot of acreage and those little legs tire, so we’ll help you out with that. We will also have a corner for moms with babies and children featuring some rockers, and hopefully a spot to lay your babe as he or she sleeps.
We feel blessed to live in a community where we pull together and rally to promote our heritage and upbringing. We highly anticipate Horse Progress Days 2021, and look forward to seeing you there!
Homemaking Seminar Presenters
Barb Heshberger, Essential Oil Expert
Barb Hershberger is one of our local essential oil users. She has a data bank of valuable knowledge and information. She will be sharing how to use essential oils, where they come from, and the benefits of using them to promote health and wellness. As a mother of seven, Barb states, “You try and do for your family what you can to promote wellness at home.”
Karen Geiser, Farmer Florist, Grower of Seasonal Food, Homesteading Teacher
Karen Geiser, along with her husband, Olin, and five children, live on a family farm in Kidron, Ohio. They are grateful to be stewards of a beautiful piece of God’s creation where they raise grass-fed meats, salad greens, medicinal herbs, and cut flowers. Karen enjoys experimenting in the garden and teaching on a wide variety of homesteading topics. Her sessions will focus on growing and arranging flowers, and how cut flowers have added extra income and diversity to their farm. You can see some of her work on Instagram @karensgarden__
Bobbie Boyd Miller, Certified Professional Midwife
Ms. Miller has been helping mothers and babies for about 15 years. She currently has a homebirth practice called Ohio Family Midwifery, and attends births at the New Bedford Care Center. She loves making connections with mothers and families through her midwifery practice and especially meeting new babies. She is married to Dave Miller who works at Provia. They have five children and live outside of Baltic, Ohio.
Glenda Groff, Cookbook Author
“I am a wife and mother to eight children. My childhood years were spent just the down the road from my Old Order Mennonite grandmother. Many hours were spent with her in the kitchen, and that is where I learned the art of bread baking. As a young wife/mother, I enjoyed cooking and baking in my own kitchen. When our oldest son was born with MSUD I began to experiment with his strict diet, modifying recipes as needed. Yeast breads were one of my favorite items to bake. A number of years ago, I began to search for sugar-free and low glycemic recipes for health reasons. Sourdough had always intrigued me. I began with starting a sourdough starter from a dried packet my daughter purchased. Months of trial and error went into the process of learning what worked the best to care and how to feed my starter. After much perseverance, I began to make beautiful loaves of whole wheat sourdough bread. This gave me the desire to change most of my yeast recipes to sourdough, and even my husband’s Aunt RuthAnn’s doughnut recipe. I received numerous request for my recipes and tips about using sourdough. In my desire to help others, we have printed a sugar-free low glycemic cookbook, Around the Family Table with many tips, helps, and sourdough recipes.”
Sandra Ellis (Dr. Mom), Master Herbalist, Midwife, Microscopist, Speaker & Author
She is the mother of 15 and grandmother of 45. For over 20 years she has been teaching others how to take responsibility for their own health and the health of their loved ones through the use of herbs, oils, massage, hydro-therapy and other natural modalities. She is the author of the popular book Dr. Mom’s Healthy Living. Her book is used as a textbook at Dr. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing where she has lectured and taught for over 20 years. She recently took a lot of interest in gut (the body’s second brain) connection which she will be talking on!
Be sure to check the flyer you receive when you enter the grounds of Horse Progress Days to see how many other seminars have been added to the event.