Storms Can’t Stop the Down to Earth Fair at Whispering Hills
Published on June 12, 2025
Storms Can’t Stop the Down to Earth Fair at Whispering Hills
The Down to Earth Fair at Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve featured expert presenters and exhibitors, and attracted about 120 attendees, despite powerful storms forcing a last minute venue change.
Strong winds and rains badly damaged the event tent on the eve of the fair late last month, “leaving our team just a few hours to pull off this important event on the fly,” recalls Ralph Howard, managing partner of Whispering Hills. “We quickly converted our equipment barn into an event hall and hosted the Down to Earth Fair, which is focused on helping families find peace of mind from getting their estate and final arrangements preplanning in order.”
The informative event went on without a hitch, featuring tours of the natural cemetery and preserve, and exhibits by UGA Master Gardeners, Campen Estate Planning, Higgins Funeral Home, K Glow Essentials, Willowood Garden, Traveling Light Emporium, the Middle Chattahoochee Sierra Club, and Mackey Wilson Jennings Funeral Home.
B’s Meat Market food truck lunches and local trio, the Liberty Hills String Band were a hit with attendees.
Ralph Howard and other presenters at the Down to Earth Fair use a remnant of the storm-damaged tent as a projector screen.
Finding Peace of Mind in a Peaceful Place
Howard opened the fair, welcoming everyone and emphasizing the Whispering Hills mission, using a remnant of the damaged tent as a projector screen. “We have protected this land for anyone who wants a beautiful final resting place surrounded by nature, and it is so gratifying to see so many people, nearly 200 families to date, finding peace of mind from choosing and cherishing this special place,” Howard shared with the audience.
LaGrange Funeral Director Jeffrey Higgins, of Higgins Funeral Home, told attendees, “our community, state, and region is so fortunate to have one of the finest natural cemeteries in the country right here.”
Higgins says there is a trend toward natural cemeteries, with more than 60% of Georgians, Alabamans, and Americans strongly considering a natural burial. “Whispering Hills is unlike most other cemeteries, with a 140-acre memorial nature preserve featuring walking trails and pastures,” noted Higgins. “The natural cemetery here offers burial options under the forest trees, overlooking streams, or among the wildflowers in a rolling meadow.”
“This is a place you want to be, to take a walk and visit with your loved ones at rest here,” LaGrange resident Jeff Martin shared with attendees. Martin and his family chose Whispering Hills for his mother Joan, who passed away in December 2023.
“I’ve unfortunately been to a few funerals, but what we’ve experienced here at Whispering Hills is apples and oranges compared to the traditional funeral services,” Martin explained. “It has been and continues to be an extremely powerful and meaningful experience, and it’s the perfect place for my mom, who loved being outside surrounded by nature.”
Funeral Director Jeffrey Higgins discusses the trend toward natural burials at the Down to Earth Fair.
The Down to Earth Fair at Whispering Hills attracted 120 attendees from across Georgia and Alabama.
An Event Full of Helpful Tips
Master Gardener Stephanie Culver’s presentation, titled Simplifying Your Life and Lawn explored how many of the weeds we try so hard to eliminate from our landscapes actually offer great benefits – from curb appeal to pain relief.
“Did you know that dandelions evolved over 30 million years ago, and before turf lawns, they were enjoyed as a food source,” Culver explained during the Down to Earth Fair. “Broadleaf Plantain is another great example of a plant that most view as a weed without realizing its tremendous value as a poison ivy antidote, even a venomous wound healer.”
So before you go spraying those “weeds” into oblivion,” Culver joked, “you may find you have the yard of the month with all of these treasures in your landscape that have so much to offer.”
Holistic estate planning expert Daniel Campen shares end-of-life preplanning tips with audience.
Down to Earth Exhibits ranged from plants, landscaping, and estate planning advice to natural skin care.
Wanda Jennings of Mackey Wilson Jennings Funeral Home in LaGrange offered up some simple tips for finding An Internal Peace of Mind. “Sometimes it’s best to slow down, relax, and enjoy the simplest of moments,” Jennings explained to fairgoers. “When you find yourself overcome with stress and anxiety, turn off the noise and turn up some soothing music,” she suggested, sharing a favorite instrumental tune with the crowd.
Holistic estate planner Daniel Campen offered up heartfelt tips to attendees, including a nudge to “tour Whispering Hills while you’re here,” he said with a smile. “This is a special place we all should consider as we get our estate and final arrangements preplanning in order.”
As part of that preplanning process, Campen suggested that “everyone should record little video messages for loved ones using their smartphones to say, ‘I love you, you mean the world to me,’ anything you want to say, so that one day they will have that video from you to cherish forever, as part of an overall end-of-life plan that offers peace of mind.”
For more information about Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve, visit www.whisperinghillspreserve.com or call 706-884-7435 to schedule a tour.
