Whispering Hills to Host Down to Earth Fair
Published on April 21, 2026
Highlights include a Horse Parade, Informative Exhibits and Presentations, Treasure-Filled Marketplace
Ralph Howard will welcome attendees at the Down to Earth Fair for a day of exhibits, presentations, tours, and marketplace treasures
The Down to Earth Fair is open to the public on Saturday, May 2, 11am-4pm, at Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve at 3550 Mooty Bridge Road in LaGrange.
The informative event will feature tours, a horse parade and riding demonstrations, live music, gourmet food truck lunches, expert presentations, and marketplace treasures, including farm fresh honey, produce, and plants, as well as books, handcrafted handbags, clothing, and jewelry.
Local experts will be there with tips to help you better tend to your lawn and garden, family legacy, and important end-of-life preplanning, as part of Whispering Hills’ fifth anniversary celebration.
“The Down to Earth Fair is all about providing practical advice to help you leave a lasting legacy, whether that’s in your lawn, your family’s story, or making sure your final arrangements preplanning is complete,” explained Ralph Howard, managing partner of Whispering Hills Natural Cemetery and Memorial Nature Preserve. “Come join us at the Down to Earth Fair where you can enjoy golf cart tours, a marketplace full of farm fresh and handcrafted treasures, and gourmet lunch-and learns, with topics ranging from legacy garden tips to the trend toward natural cemeteries.”
Crossway Apiaries, with its farm fresh honey, will be among the exhibitors at the Down to Earth Fair
Nearly 70% of Georgians and Americans are strongly considering a natural burial, according to a recent study by the National Funeral Directors Association. Nearly 250 families from Georgia, Alabama, and across the South and beyond have already chosen Whispering Hills for a loved one passed or as part of their own end-of-life preplanning.
Exhibitors and marketplace vendors include Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, Cross Cuts, Crossway Apiaries, Grace Transitions, Higgins Funeral Home, Author and Columnist Mary Dansak, Middle Chattahoochee Sierra Club, Optimist Club of LaGrange, OWP Homestead, Redd Tent Creations, Traveling Light Emporium, Troup County Saddle Club, UGA and Troup County Master Gardeners, and Whispering Hills.
The Troup County Saddle Club will lead the horse parade and horse-riding demonstrations at this year’s Down to Earth Fair, a local tribute to the famed Kentucky Derby that will take place later that day. “Our Troup County Saddle Club members are leading the horse parade, hoping to inspire others to appreciate the natural spaces we ride in and to promote responsible land and animal stewardship,” explained Jennifer Johnson, Troup County Saddle Club president. “We’re looking forward to meeting a lot of people at the Down to Earth Fair and sharing our love of horses and community.”
The Ottermen will fill the air with great music, while B’s Meat Market Food Truck will be serving up signature burgers, pulled pork BBQ, and garden salads, along with tots, sweet tea and lemonade.
“It’s been gratifying to see so many people and families from across the region cherish this natural cemetery and nature preserve,” Howard noted. “Once people see and explore Whispering Hills, they connect with the beauty and peacefulness in the forest and meadows.”
Robin Thompson-Ivey will be at the Down to Earth Fair to share why she chose a natural cemetery for her family and her own future final resting place
Farm fresh produce, handcrafted handbags and jewelry will be among the marketplace treasures at this years Down to Earth Fair
Whispering Hills is a 49-acre certified natural cemetery at the heart of a 146-acre memorial nature preserve, featuring a forest of towering trees, spring fed streams, horses and pastures, picnic spots, deer, flower-filled meadows, and miles of hiking, walking and riding trails.
Robin Thompson-Ivey of LaGrange first visited Whispering Hills a few years ago. She recently laid to rest her husband Jim’s ashes, along with her mother-in-law and father-in-law Mary and Harold Thompson’s ashes during a family celebration of life in February, after keeping them in boxes and urns for years.
“It was time and this is the perfect spot, under beautiful trees just like Mary wanted,” Robin shared, as she placed rose petals around the hand-picked stone that marks the final resting place for her loved ones. “This is such an incredible way to honor your family. They all would have loved it here in the forest,” noted Robin, who plans to share why she chose a natural cemetery during an open forum at the Down to Earth Fair. “By sharing memories of our loved ones, we’re keeping our family’s story alive for future generations.” Other families are also invited to share their stories at the fair.
Robin celebrated the lives of her family members passed with her two daughters Sarah and Hannah and their families. They all enjoy walking the trails in the nature preserve and envision picnics and hikes throughout the year.
Down to Earth Fair attendees can enjoy tours of the Whispering Hills memorial nature preserve throughout the day
Mark your calendar for the Down to Earth Fair on Saturday, May 2, 11am-4pm at Whispering Hills, 3550 Mooty Bridge Road, LaGrange, Georgia. For more information about Whispering Hills and the Down to Earth Fair, visit www.whisperinghillspreserve.com or call 706-884-7435.
