Chamber Currents
Simple Farms Takes A Step Back In Time
Step back in time with me for a moment…a time of corn cribs and tater banks. A time of syrup (mills) and lye soap. A time when the pleasure of simple things was real. This past week, the girls from the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce took a ride through the past during a field trip to Simple Farms, located in Nichols, S.C. One of our newest Chamber members, Simple Farms offered me a walk down the memory lane of my childhood.
The trip brought back stories about visits to my Granddaddy Hooks’ house in Bayboro and the days when corn rows were planted four feet apart and dirt was churned with manure for a healthier crop. I remembered eating watermelons on his back porch and trying to spit seeds into the pomegranate bush that was planted just two feet from the adjoining tobacco field, which practically surrounded his house.
Wayne Skipper and his mother, Ms. Mary Dean Skipper, took Kelly, Laurie and myself on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Simple Farms property. The extended the sweetest of southern hospitality and to be honest, I could go back and never leave. The farm is known for hosting the seven-year-old Simple Farms Homestead Farm Show, which started out as an event for family and church friends, yet ended up drawing over 300 people in its first year. Last year, the Skippers estimated between 1,500 and 1,800 attendees. This year, they hope to have a General Store up and running by the November 10th Farm Show. In the store, they plan to see fresh vegetables and of course, lye soap and other simple pleasures.
A visit to the family farm will show how “in season” farm products are produced the way they were before modern, high production methodology became the way of farming. Old style farm buildings and tools are still very much in use on the farm. Visitors can see and experience the way of farm life in the Pee Dee before 1965. The Skippers offer year round products that a small family farm would have grown for their own livelihood. Their goal? To share our heritage that is so priceless. Another goal? To expand the farm and its offerings to become the Simple Farms Living Heritage Farm.
Currently, the farm offers a chance to see first hand a chicken coop, corn crib, smoke house, outhouse, open well, tobacco barn, hog pen, wood shed, hay stack, tater bank, turkey pen, goats, horses, cows, a well-stocked catfish pond, watermelons and tomatoes. Additionally, the farm is now growing mums, which will be available for sale in the fall.
Corn and vegetables are also planted throughout the farm.
In the near future, Wayne hopes to build a blacksmith shop, as well as a flourmill where he can grind grits and corn. Additionally, he hopes to build a replica of an old farmhouse, which can demonstrate how primitively farm folks used to live. He has underway the placement of a sawmill on the property, where demonstrations with a cross-cut saw can be given. In addition to their annual event, they’ll be offering daily tours of the farm. The farm in and of itself will be a destination, offering an experience from back ‘yonder.
During the Homestead Farm Show, demonstrations by a local blacksmith are given, and one man even brings his bull offering up bull rides to the local children. Children can also enjoy a number of games, including a chance to play with homemade hoop & guides, which were sold during last year’s event. Wayne, who lives smack in the middle of Simple Farms, offers up his front porch to a gospel-singing extravaganza during the event. Gospel groups from all over come and perform for the crowds throughout the entire day. The day’s activities include the making of Ms. Mary Dean lye soap, which is made with fresh meat fat, lye, rainwater, and Borax. A remedy for mosquito bites, poison ivy, psoriasis, and exema, the soap is frequently requested from Ms. Skipper throughout the year.
Skipping lunch during the Farm Show is unacceptable. You don’t skip a meal at Ms. Mary Dean’s house. Vending participants bring delights such as collard green sandwiches, chicken bog, BBQ, and turkey legs to tempt the taste buds, as well as a wide selection of cakes and pies. Last year over 28 vendors participated in the show and this year, they’re expecting even more.
Of course, a trip to the Farm Show means old cars and tractors, wagon rides and hey, even a ride all over the farm on a homemade flat drag. Don’t know what that is? Well, you’ll just need to mark your calendar for the second Saturday in November. Wayne will be glad to take you on a tour. For more information on the Simple Farms Homestead Farm Show or to set up a tour of the Simple Farms Living Heritage Farm for you and your family, give Wayne Skipper a call at (843) 392-1392.
