By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

 

Mike Lowe is a guest speaker at the annual expo this year.

The 10th annual Southeast Texas/Southwest Louisiana Crisis Preparation and Sustainable Living Expo from 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. Friday, February 7, and 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, February 8, at Little Cypress Baptist Church located at 3274 Little Cypress Drive in Orange.

Lowe has been learning and practicing wilderness survival-bushcraft skills since 1975. From 1980-88 I served as a Survival Instructor in the US Air Force. From 1988 to the present I have been learning, practicing, and teaching wilderness survival-bushcraft skills and Search & Rescue certification training for Wilderness Way Adventures, a faith-based outdoor ministry I founded as a LLC 501(c)3 program. I have taught hundreds of men, women, and children throughout North America. In 2015 I was a participant on Alone Season 2 (which aired on the History Channel in 2016), according to his bio at survivalschool.us

He is also a Sigma 3 Traveling Instructor. 

Lowe will speak at 5 p.m. on Friday and again at Noon on Saturday. 

Classes on topics such as why prepare and how to get started, camping skills, pressure canning meat, prepping for man-made disasters and conflicts, soap making, surviving the flood, and living sustainably and food secure.

All classes are free, but ones such as pressure canning meat and soap making require pre-registration to ensure all attending will have supplies. 

To register for the classes, call 409-883-8905.

Along with classes, vendors will also be on site.

This year the event will also host a Camping Skills course which includes an area for setting up one’s tents. 

The course is taught by Lonnie Evan McCabe. 

“Class one is about establishing a comfortable and functional camp with just the supplies in your backpack. The second class is what you should get for a backpack and what great gear should really be in that pack. Don’t worry, Lonnie is not selling camping supplies, but he has wilderness camped many times over the years and has learned some valuable lessons. You do not have to take his classes, but if you really like camping he is a good person to hear. You will be responsible for feeding yourselves if you eat in the campsite. If you come over for breakfast or lunch in the Expo hall there will be breakfast burritos and pulled pork sandwiches at a minimal cost,” according to a press release concerning the event.

Class one begins on Friday and covers from 3-5 p.m. The class will help you have a very comfortable camp with just the things you can carry in a backpack. You will see how to assemble such a camp. 

Class two is on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. and the goal of this class is to help you select what should be in your pack without breaking the bank or buying bogus gear. Both classes meet in the parking lot across the street from the venue.

His father, Lonnie McCabe Sr, is also teaching a course during the event, Why Prepare and How to Get Started.

McCabe Sr. has been a prepper for decades. He knows all of the normal and often expensive mistakes a person can make. This is a standard class that could save you thousands of dollars and a lot of frustration.  The course is at 4 p.m. Friday. He will also teach a course on Medical Herbs at 1 p.m. Saturday. 

Classes are an hour each and several classes are available each hour beginning at 12 noon on Friday. 

Classes change from year to year, so there is something new to learn with each visit.

The Southeast Texas/Southwest Louisiana Crisis Preparation and Sustainable Living Expo does not take responsibility for the advice or direction of the speakers. This is a grassroots community service that depends on the reputation of each speaker as shared by those that attend the annual event.