Midwest Bear Fest Recap and Reflection
Though it did not come without challenges, all expectations of this festival were met, some would even say expectations were exceeded.
Amidst all the toil and upheaval of normal events in 2020, a seed of inspiration and ambition was planted in the minds of Lincoln and Hope Young. Attendees of their local annual renaissance festival and disappointed in its cancellation that year they decided to host a festival of their own. With the help of some local (and not so local) bears the plans for the first annual Midwest Bear Fest were formed. Over the next few months planning, designing and scheduling took place. This three day family friendly, renaissance inspired, bear fest would be of legendary proportion that no bear had ever seen before. Though it did not come without challenges, all expectations of this festival were met, some would even say expectations were exceeded.
The first day of the event was Friday, October 8 though many legends and crushers arrived the day before to set up camp in Serenity Valley Farm’s spacious fields. Tenters and RV campers alike claimed their spaces and enjoyed a long weekend of camping at this festival. HankBear was the camp host and he helped direct campers to ideal spots where they set up camp. The torrential down pour that Fridays weather brought us was unexpected. While everyone’s tents stayed dry some vehicles got stuck in the mud. Many said that the kind of rain we all witnessed hadn’t been seen in that area for countless years. The main event tent and vendor market field got completely flooded. The 5K race took place an hour late and in the pouring rain but none of this dampened the spirits of the bears. We knew we were being tested, that with all the good this festival would bring some push back from the adversary was expected. Despite the weather many legends rose to the occasion and dug trenches to drain the field, the young Cubs made a game of it and spent many hours digging the trenches deeper and longer, Farming Artist Bear and the Backwoods Bears cranked out lunch and dinner while vendors were moved to the barn and LegacyTruths Bear played his guitar and sang. Friday afternoon brought beautiful sunshine, calmer weather and a spectacular view over the corn field. The pyrotechnic delta force team got to work on the fireworks show for Saturday and a pre-baked pie contest was held. By the time nightfall came families and friends new and old returned to the camping field and enjoyed camaraderie around the various camp fires.
Saturday morning brought beautiful weather and the Men’s Homestead Games! Tug of war, push-ups, log throw, 4-way chess, chicken wrangling, fire starting and an obstacle course that each team epically crushed for this event. But there could only be one winning team the aptly named “Absolute Crushers” took the title. Farming Artist Bear and team Backwoods Bears crushed it yet again providing made to order breakfast, lunch and dinner. Amy’s music garden was a wonderful music hour for the children with games and instruments for all. Special demonstrations about knife smithing from Bladesmith Bear, trapping and tracking from Civilized Savage bear and bee keeping from Farming Artist Bear were held for those who wanted to learn new skills. A seed swap hosted by Beartaria Seed Saver’s own Copper Bear and a shield painting contest were held. Bears bought shields from Woodshop Bear, painted them and brought them to the fest to be judged. Other special events were held such as kids crafts, face painting and a costume contest for all ages! The only thing capable of topping a legendary day like this was…fireworks.
AJ Rhino Bear and his Delta Force pyro squad were hard at work all day missing out on the festivities while setting up for a not soon forgotten pyrotechnic musical show of epic proportions. If you thought the Forth of July Crushfest was the best fireworks display you had ever seen, Midwest Bear Fest’s show would have blown you away! Even those who doubted that Rhino and his crew could surpass past experiences couldn’t get over the legendary spectacle. Strategically choreographed to BB streams and Anchor Bear music, Rhino and the Delta Force pyro squad did not disappoint. The shouts of “Beartaria” from adult to child alike ringing through the night air, mid show, like a triumphant victory call brought tears to the eyes of even the most stoic of bears. The energy the show created was palpable and the resulting buzz was the topic of discussion for days and weeks to come.
The third and final day was welcomed by some more beautiful weather, a lovely morning of prayer and a speech of gratitude for all of Hope and Lincoln’s hard work. It was a day of relaxation, packing and good byes. Though some stayed an extra day most packed up their camp and headed home. The last day is always the hardest, saying goodbye to old friends who you met for the first time is never easy. But the bond is strengthened by an event such as this. For as dismal as the start of the event seemed spirits soared and positivity flowed. The energy was carried throughout the weekend and still flows for many of us. We are all looking forward to the next Midwest Bear Fest!
Events
New Vendors, Workshops and Events At The 2024 Beartaria Times National Festival! (Bean Spilling)
This year, The Beartaria Times National Festival will step it up with new speakers, bands, vendors, workshops, and micro-events!
This year, The Beartaria Times National Festival will step it up with new speakers, bands, vendors, workshops, and micro-events!
Here are some insights of what to look forward to!
Micro-Events:
This year, the growing festival team will utilize the banquet tent to host micro events each night. Plans include having the Singles Mixer on Friday evening, which was missing from previous years.
Festival management also plans to host a business mixer on Saturday Evening as an addition to the festival to promote networking and the economy in our community.
Expected Workshops:
Arm Candy Chainmail will be teaching how to make chainmail.
Farming Artist will have a workshop to discuss and demonstrate the intricacies of beekeeping.
Fermenting Bear will demonstrate the art of fermentation in a hands on lesson.
Fort Brown Bear will demonstrate the full process of how to process a meat bird by old and new processes.
Practical Bear will be discussing how to achieve financial independence at all income levels.
This will include strategies and services to eliminate debt, reach financial goals, and leave a legacy for future generations.
Food Vendors:
This year, we expect some great food and beverage booths. Here is a snapshot of what we are looking forward to!
Beartaria Beef
Handcrafted lemonade, iced tea, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages
Fruiti Fizzis
Organic Popsicles
Ice Cream by the scoop
Homemade Kombucha
Homestead Goods
Organic Smoothies, Frappes
Distilled Water
Fermented Goods
Donuts, coffee, oatmeal bar
Sourdough baked goods
Lumpia (Filipino eggrolls) and Pancit (noodles with chicken, cabbage, carrots)
Puerto Rican Food
General Vendors:
This year we are looking forward to meeting some amazing vendors and welcoming back some vendors from previous years. Here are some vendor product and services you can expect to see in 2024.
Ceramics, prints
Precious metals
Chainmail jewelry
Musical Book
Books
Handmade, vintage silks/scarves
Herbal remedies for wound care, arthritis, aches and pains, and supplying nutrients through the skin
Body, hair, and kitchen soaps and shampoos
Bath bombs and bath soaks
Kitchen and laundry soaps
Baby care cosmetic items
Regular cosmetics;
Herb-based animal toys (catnip, mice, etc.)
Plant-based insect repellents and insect bite relief
All Natural Clothing
arts/crafts/creations
handmade crocheted (and possibly hand-sewn) items such as head scarfs, bags, hats, or dish towels made with natural/sustainable materials (wool, cotton, linen, etc.)
leather goods
Bear-related metal art.
Honey
Honey products
Bee pollen
Bee Propolis
Beeswax
Beeswax candles
Seeds
Tinctures, teas, tallows, salves, balms, also hair braiding & hair beads/tinsel for children
Garden Products / BioChar
Homeschooling Curriculum / Books
Wood bear cutouts, stickers, magnets, and olive oil.
Safety/Security/1st Aid
This year Beartaria Times will also be adding a concession store to help with odds and ends that festival goers may need to help make a more comfortable experience.
Big things are in the works and the festival is right around the corner!
Ticket Sales end August 4th!
Events
Applications Now Open For Topher’s Dome Building Workshop
The workshop will be for a small crew of 12 people!
Christopher Gardner (Topher) is preparing an exclusive dome building workshop in Missouri and applications are now open!
The workshop will be for a small crew of 12 people!
This workshop would be a three day event of at least 3 hours of serious labor and skill building each day with approximately 2-3 hours a day of study and lectures.
In this workshop you will get your hands dirty as you are guided through the process of building the foundations of a Dome structure and framing it out to completion of the first of 3 stages in the dome construction process.
The labor will consist of learning and executing proper earth bag techniques and concepts while learning from the best!
This workshop is in high demand and to facilitate it Beartaria Ozark Campground has listed an application for anyone interested.
Events
National Festival Speaker Line-Up Announced!
Who to expect Live in Missouri at The Beartaria Times National Festival Conference?
Beartaria Times Event Management has announced this years speaker line-up and it’s looking like a great conference!
Who to expect Live in Missouri at The Beartaria Times National Festival Conference?
Tom Barnett
Tom Barnett is a holistic health practitioner and mindset coach, covering diverse topics from law, culture and sociology to human health and spirituality.
Many people from all walks of life have found value in Tom’s relaxed and calm demeanor while getting right to the point, providing valuable, stable content that will remain applicable for life.
In these times, Tom’s value has been truly appreciated for his consistent ability to ground people in what matters.
Bradley Stone
Bradley Stone was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. At 21 he started his first business – a direct marketing firm representing the Texas Rangers. After having a ton of success with the Rangers, he created the opportunity for himself to move to California at 22 to open another direct sales office representing the LA Angels of Anaheim and the LA Dodgers. By the time Bradley was 29 he had opened 30 offices nationwide with 500 employees working with clients like the MLB, NHL, AT&T, Verizon and many others. In his 7 years in California, Bradley’s organization generated $40M in revenue. His business also led him to meet his wife, who changed the way he looked at business and life.
In 2019 Bradley exited his direct sales company and moved back to Dallas to be close to his family and start one of his own.
He is currently working as a small business consultant at Paychex, Inc. and owns his own consulting company. His company helps all types of businesses whether they are just starting out or preparing to sell their business in an acquisition. He advises and guides small businesses and individuals on increasing their sales, improving their techniques and strategies, and building stronger customer relationships.
Bradley currently lives in a small town outside of Dallas with his wife and 2 young children. He and his wife plan to homeschool their children in order spend as much time as possible with them as they grow. Thankfully, his business allows him to do just that.
The Juice Boss
As a wellness visionary, feel-good junkie and relentless seeker of truth, Nick has successfully forged his greatest passions to create a new category and thriving brand.
Nick takes a biohacker & shaman-like approach to diet, lifestyle and mindset. He obsesses on quality of ingredients & living a vibrant, purposeful life. Paired with his endless pursuit of knowing “what’s next” and “what delivers real results” he provides his clients with unique access to products & programs that allow the body to do what’s it’s designed to do- heal.
Inspired by an array of censored thought leaders, self-improvement gurus and ancient healers, Nick has grown to appreciate the opportunity in every challenge as he follows divine signs & intuition to guide the future of his business, family, and everything in-between.
As a dedicated practitioner of radical honesty and self-experimentation, his ideas, opinions and intentions are rarely misperceived.
Mr. Permie Bear
Adam Stevens aka Mr. Permie Bear does about everything that strikes his fancy, many of those things all at the same time. He is a former stock broker, having specialized in international securities and day trader services.
After his trading days were done, he began a career in banking and eventually became a commercial lender before he retired from finance as a whole. He is a graduate of the Oregon Banker’s Association Executive Development Program. He left finance to pursue a life closer to the land and things that matter, such as raising children. He is a Certified Permaculture Designer, dairyman, vegetable farmer, construction worker, consultant, seed salesman, occasional sawyer, and aspiring jack-of-every-possible-trade-under-the-sun.
He is the Founder of Legends Repair and Remodel and co-founder of Grateful Harvest Seed Company. He and his wife also operate Piney Creek Farm in the Missouri Ozarks. He dreams of creating a place where people can learn about and interact with permaculture and regenerative farming systems of all kinds and then use what they learn to create a more resilient and fulfilling life on whatever scale makes sense to them.
Christopher Gardner
Topher Gardner is a professional sculptor of curved ferro-cement buildings and the human body. His chiral phenomenology has led him into the Permaculture world where the BioDynamic principles of Rudolf Steiner predominate.
Making deep black soil with the carbon amendment of BioChar, which is pyrolised carbon, gives the ground the correct substrate for beneficial micro-organisms. His goal is to appropriately signal the Natural World as to induce a higher quality life.
Owen Benjamin
Owen Benjamin was born to John Kares Smith and Jean Troy-Smith, both professors at State University of New York at Oswego. He attended college at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh where he started performing standup comedy and also got his start in television at the student run station Plattsburgh State Television. Owen also studied history in the Czech Republic with a focus in tyrannical governments.
Owen Benjamin became known in Hollywood for various movie appearances, announcing for major award shows and having multiple main stream comedy specials. He became massively popular for never pulling punches on social media, exposing the industry for being a tool of social conditioning and shameless hypocrisy. Never letting social status or money get in the way of what needed to be said (and what many people quietly agreed with), Owen prioritized truth and comedy above all.
Owen was one of the only established comedians to speak out against agendas to normalize child abuse with hormone altering drugs and sexual exploitation in 2016. Fighting this agenda publicly resulted in his exile from Hollywood.
Owen Benjamin doubled down on truth and refused to compromise or take the path of manipulative money & accolades (also called “lollipops & fancy pants”). As a result, his audience grew rapidly and his live streams began pulling more views than main stream news outlets, rolling out hours of hilarious content daily. Having this level of reach and influence without giving into the manipulations to push agendas or avoid topics made Owen became a major target for deplatforming from various services involved in the attempted social conditioning of the public.
As Owen Benjamin sought to find solutions in an atmosphere that hyper-focused only on problems, he found that taking responsibility, being self sustainable, and self reliant as the right path forward. As a result, he became one of the biggest advocates for people homesteading and growing their own food wherever they are, even if it starts with a seed on a city balcony.
Owen Benjamin began to thoroughly understand the criminal nature and mechanisms used to actively discriminate and slander both him and his audience. By not bending to the social agendas of the perverted and destructive news media, his path forward was to build his own platforms and services where he can be free to speak his mind and connect with others who want to be a part of the good, the true and the beautiful.
Owen Benjamin is the Founder of Beartaria and related projects that has now built a life of its own and spear heads the movement to self reliance and independence through responsibility and self reliance. He lives a beautiful life with his wife Amy and his four children, Walter, Charlie, Jack and Fredrick.
This years speaker line up is looking amazing!
Tickets will only be available for 3 more weeks! Make sure to pick them up before sales close down!
Ticket sales close August 4th.
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