Homestead Festival Returns June 5-6 With Joel Salatin, Lee Greenwood, and a Call Back to the Land

A two-day celebration of faith, farming, and self-reliance comes to a 100-acre Middle Tennessee farm, drawing some of America's most respected voices on food, family, and freedom.

COLUMBIA, There is something stirring in America right now, and it is deeper than a trend. From the hollows of Maury County to the suburbs of Spring Hill, families are asking a question their grandparents never had to: where does our food actually come from, and do we trust it? On June 5 and 6, 2026, one of the most thoughtful answers to that question will take shape on a 100-acre working farm about an hour south of Nashville. The Homestead Festival is back, and it is bigger than it has ever been.

The festival's educator lineup reads like a who's-who of the American farming renaissance. Joel Salatin, the Virginia farmer and author who has spent decades making the case that food raised with integrity is better for the body, the soil, and the soul, tops the speaker roster. Temple Grandin, whose groundbreaking work in animal behavior science has quietly reshaped how farmers think about livestock welfare, joins him. And Rory Feek, the Grammy-winning country artist whose story of faith, grief, and life on a Tennessee farm has moved millions of readers and listeners, will both perform and speak. The festival promises more than 25 voices from the front lines of American homesteading across the two days.

The entertainment stage is no afterthought. Lee Greenwood, Shenandoah, Terri Clark, and The Cleverlys headline a music lineup that runs every night and during the lunch hour both days, turning the festival grounds into something that feels as much like a revival as a farm conference. More than 200 vendors will be on hand offering homestead goods, gear, and supplies. Hands-on demonstrations in wood turning, leather crafting, and animal care run throughout the weekend, and a dedicated Lil' Homesteaders Area keeps the youngest attendees busy with face painting, a corn pit, and a bounce house. Children five and under get in free.

For Maury County residents, this festival lands in familiar territory. The agricultural heritage of this county runs as deep as the Duck River itself. The farming families who have worked these rolling hills for generations have been doing homesteading long before it had a hashtag. But in the years since empty store shelves reminded Americans how fragile a supply chain can be, a new generation is leaning into that old wisdom, and this festival exists to meet them where they are. Whether you are 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 believes in growing something real, this weekend was made for you.

Tickets range from General Admission to VIP passes that include reserved seating, breakfast both mornings, and festival goods. The full speaker schedule and ticket information are available at thehomesteadfestival.com. The values on display at this festival, faith, hard work, knowing your neighbor, and stewarding the land, are not going out of style. They are coming back into fashion everywhere else. Maury County has been living them all along.

Downtown Columbia Is About to Have Its First Residents

A 293-unit apartment community on the east side of the square is nearing completion, the first time in the city's history that people will be living downtown.

COLUMBIA, Construction cranes have become a familiar sight on the east side of the downtown square, and they are working toward something this city has never had: people living downtown. A 293-unit apartment community off Woodland Street is nearing completion, with residents expected to move in by Fall 2027. It is the first time in Columbia's history that anyone will wake up with a window looking out over the courthouse square.

The project has been years in the making and is now visible to anyone who drives through downtown. The east side of the square, a stretch that has long been more parking than presence, is being transformed into a residential community that will put hundreds of neighbors within walking distance of the restaurants, music venues, and small businesses that have been building momentum along the square for years. That kind of density is what turns a destination into a neighborhood.

Growth of this kind brings both excitement and responsibility. The pressure on roads, parking, utilities, and city services is real, and the city has been working to get ahead of it. The recently launched Pavement Management Program is collecting high-resolution data on all 235 centerline miles of city roads, in part to prepare for exactly this kind of development. Residents near the Woodland Street corridor will be watching closely to see that planning keeps pace with construction.

A downtown where people actually live is a downtown that stays alive after 9 p.m., that sustains the businesses on the square, and that gives young families a reason to stay in Columbia rather than drift toward Williamson County. The construction is well underway. What comes next is up to the city and the community to get right.

Columbia Installs 12-Siren Emergency Alert System Across the City

Funded by a $420,000 federal grant, the new outdoor warning system was successfully tested May 11 and includes both voice-capable and mechanical sirens at key city locations.

COLUMBIA, The City of Columbia has completed installation and initial testing of a new citywide public safety siren system, marking one of the most significant investments in emergency preparedness this city has made in years. The system was successfully tested on Monday, May 11, 2026, and is now operational across 12 strategically placed locations throughout Columbia.

The project was funded through a $420,000 Community Development Block Grant from the CDBG Imminent Threat Program and completed in partnership with the South Central Tennessee Development District. The system includes three electric sirens featuring both audible tones and voice broadcast capabilities, along with nine mechanical sirens engineered to deliver strong, far-reaching warning signals. Together, they form a layered outdoor alerting network designed to reach residents wherever they are when a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service. Siren locations include Columbia Fire Stations 3, 4, and 5, Fairview Park, Ridley Park, Reservoir Hill, and several city utility facilities spread across the full footprint of Columbia.

Mayor Chaz Molder said the project reflects the city's ongoing commitment to protecting the community, noting that the new system strengthens the city's ability to quickly alert residents when it matters most. City Manager Tony Massey echoed that sentiment, describing the investment as an enhancement to Columbia's already strong foundation of public safety. Both leaders' statements were attributed in the city's official announcement, which is linked below.

City officials are quick to note that outdoor sirens are designed to alert people who are outside, and may not always be heard indoors during severe weather. Residents are strongly encouraged to use multiple alerting methods, including weather radios and mobile alerts. The city also offers a free emergency notification service called Hyper-Reach, available to all residents within city limits. To sign up, call or text the word "Alert" to 931-286-7771, or register online at the Hyper-Reach signup page. Future siren test dates will be announced in advance on the city's website and social media channels.

Maury County Fire Graduates 12 New Firefighters After 400-Plus Hours of Training

Battalion 3, the 2025-26 recruit class, has officially earned their certifications, with 10 of the 12 already holding both Firefighter I and Firefighter II credentials.

COLUMBIA, Maury County Fire Department has a reason to stand tall this week. The department's 2025-26 recruit class, designated Battalion 3, has officially graduated after completing more than 400 hours of fire and EMS training that began in September 2025. The class of 12 represents the next generation of men and women who will answer the call when Maury County families need them most.

Every recruit in Battalion 3 earned their Firefighter I certification. Ten of the 12 have already passed Firefighter II as well, a testament to the dedication of both the recruits and the instructors who put them through their paces. That level of dual certification going into graduation speaks well of the program and of the caliber of people choosing to serve this county in one of its most demanding and important roles.

Maury County has grown rapidly over the past two decades, and the demands on its fire and EMS services have grown with it. Every new certified firefighter added to the department's rolls is a direct investment in the safety of the families, farms, and communities spread across the county's more than 600 square miles. These are not just credentials on a piece of paper. They represent hundreds of hours of physical and technical preparation, the kind of preparation that makes the difference in the first minutes of a structure fire or a medical emergency on a country road at midnight.

The Muletown Journal congratulates Battalion 3 on a hard-earned achievement. Maury County is better protected because of their commitment. The Maury County Fire Department's announcement of the graduation is linked below.

Fire Rips Through Columbia Farm Supply Building on Bear Creek Pike

While the building took heavy damage, crews from five departments contained the fire and protected neighboring structures.

COLUMBIA, A fire broke out at the Columbia Farm Supply building at 170 Bear Creek Pike shortly after 12:40 a.m. on Friday, May 29, gutting the structure before dawn. Columbia Fire and Rescue arrived to find heavy fire conditions throughout the building, and crews quickly shifted to defensive tactics to protect neighboring structures. No injuries were reported among civilians or firefighters.

Five departments responded to the scene: Columbia Fire and Rescue, Maury County Fire, Spring Hill Fire, Mt. Pleasant Fire, and Maury Regional EMS, along with the Maury County Sheriff's Office and Columbia Power and Water Systems. Crews worked through the night and remained on scene into the day Friday to address hotspots. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Columbia Fire Marshal's Office.

The response came just days after Maury County Fire's Battalion 3, a class of 12 new recruits, completed more than 400 hours of training and earned their certifications. Calls like the one on Bear Creek Pike are exactly what that preparation is for. The men and women who answered the alarm Friday morning did their job: the fire took the building, but it did not spread. That outcome, in a working commercial corridor in the middle of the night, is not an accident. It is the result of training, coordination, and the kind of mutual aid that keeps this county covered.

'Down the Duck' Film Gets Its Homecoming: Documentary to Screen in Columbia on June 12

Harpeth Conservancy is hosting the first public showing of the documentary, about the Duck River's 270-mile journey, right here in the watershed it celebrates.

COLUMBIA, The Duck River has been telling its story for thousands of years, moving quietly through the heart of Maury County on its way to the Tennessee River, carrying with it a biological richness that scientists still find astonishing. On June 12, 2026, that story gets a screening. Harpeth Conservancy is bringing the documentary film "Down the Duck" to Columbia for its first public showing in the watershed itself, and there is something genuinely moving about that choice of venue.

The film, produced by Archaea Productions in partnership with Nashville Public Television, follows septuagenarian photographer John Guider as he canoes all 270 miles of the Duck River from its headwaters to its mouth. Along the way, the documentary weaves together voices of ecologists, historians, local residents, and conservation advocates, building a portrait of a river that is both beautiful and embattled. The Duck River is widely recognized as one of the most aquatically biodiverse rivers in North America, home to roughly 50 native mussel species and dozens of fish found nowhere else on earth. It is one of Maury County's most extraordinary natural assets, and most residents pass over it on their daily commute without fully knowing what lies beneath.

Harpeth Conservancy noted in its announcement that there is something especially meaningful about this first public screening happening right here in the Duck River watershed. That is an understatement. Columbia sits along the banks of a river that deserves the kind of reverence this film appears designed to inspire. Conservation of the Duck is not just an environmental cause; it is a responsibility to the generations who will come after us, the farmers who depend on its water, the families who fish its banks, and the children who will one day need someone to have cared enough to protect it.

The screening will be held in Columbia on June 12. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the film begins at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free, and tickets are available at the link below. If you have ever stood on a bridge over the Duck and felt something you could not quite name, this is the evening to go put words to it.

Columbia Launching Data-Driven Pavement Program to Address 235 Miles of City Roads

The city has partnered with engineering consultants to assess every road in Columbia using LiDAR and high-definition imaging, with a final management plan due by December 2026.

COLUMBIA, Anyone who has driven Columbia's roads long enough knows that some of them are overdue for a hard conversation. The city is now having it. The City of Columbia has launched a comprehensive Pavement Management and Preservation Program, bringing in engineering firm Alfred Benesch and Company and its subconsultant Citylogix to collect high-resolution data on all 235 centerline miles of city roadway. The goal is a long-term, prioritized maintenance strategy grounded in real data rather than guesswork.

The program uses advanced imaging, LiDAR technology, and 360-degree high-definition data collection to assess pavement conditions across the city with a level of precision that was not previously available to Columbia planners. That data will feed into a formal Pavement Management Plan that will guide how and where the city spends its road maintenance dollars going forward. Mayor Chaz Molder said the program is about putting the right tools in place to make informed decisions that will benefit the city for years to come. City Manager Tony Massey added that reliable data and advanced analytics will allow the city to prioritize projects more effectively and extend the life of its roadway system.

Data collection began in April and is scheduled to continue through December, with the final Pavement Management Plan expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The program also includes standardized plans and specifications for future projects, community education materials, and budget scenario modeling, the kind of planning infrastructure that allows a city to make smarter decisions about limited dollars. For taxpayers, that is the right approach: invest in knowing what you have before you spend money fixing it.

The timing matters. Downtown Columbia is about to see nearly 300 new residential units come online, and growth pressure across the city is not easing. Roads that are adequate today can become chokepoints quickly if the city is not ahead of the curve. This program is a sign that Columbia's leadership is trying to be proactive. Whether the Pavement Management Plan leads to genuinely prioritized investment, and not just a document that sits on a shelf, is a question worth asking again when December arrives.

Culleoka Unit School Named 'School of the Year' by ESS Tennessee Substitute Teachers

ESS Tennessee's substitute teachers voted Culleoka the top school in the state, citing a campus culture that makes substitutes feel appreciated and valued.

COLUMBIA, Culleoka Unit School has earned a distinction that reflects something real about the culture of that campus. ESS Tennessee, the statewide substitute teacher placement organization, has voted Culleoka Unit School its School of the Year, chosen by the substitute teachers themselves, the people who see the inside of more classrooms than almost anyone else in public education.

Substitute teachers occupy a unique vantage point in a school building. They move between classrooms, grade levels, and school cultures day after day, and they know within the first hour whether a school is a place that runs with warmth and intention or one that is simply going through the motions. For Culleoka to earn this recognition from that group speaks to something deliberate in how that school is led and how its students and permanent staff treat the people who show up to help. ESS Tennessee cited the way Culleoka's staff and students make substitutes feel appreciated and valued, noting that their support and dedication truly make a difference.

Culleoka Unit School serves students in the rural southwestern part of Maury County, a community with deep roots and a strong sense of place. It is the kind of school where many students' parents and grandparents walked the same halls, and where the relationship between the school and the surrounding community is close and long-standing. Awards like this one are a reflection not just of a building's administration but of the families and community that support it.

Maury County Public Schools shared the recognition on its official social media, and the congratulations are well-earned. Well done, Culleoka.