Vinton County — An annual regional event for home schoolers is coming up next week. The “Heritage Explorers Fest” is an all-day gathering at the Vinton County Fairgrounds a few miles north of McArthur, featuring demonstrators, a history fair, a history play, and more.
It’s coordinated by the Southwest Ohio Homeschoolers, which covers 16 counties including Fayette, Pickaway, and Ross.
From their Facebook page: “We have a full day of hands-on American history planned for homeschool families! Join us Wednesday, October 21, from 11 AM to 4 PM in the Hocking Hills for Heritage Explorers Fest 2026. Admission is only $12 per carload.
“This year we’re celebrating 250 Years of America with activities that give kids a chance to do more than simply read about history. They’ll make, build, experiment, create, compete, ask questions, and interact with history throughout the day.
“History is a lot harder to forget when kids get to experience it.”
I visited the event last year and interviewed its founder, Tara Dodrill of Southwest Ohio Homeschoolers, and one participant, Melissa Renee of “Handwritten Heals” in Highland County.
Tara Dodrill had a rough morning a year ago – she said she had fallen in her goat pen and knocked some out teeth. But, she was still willing to speak with me on-camera.
She said she had been leading a homeschool co-op, with a three-day event at the Vinton fairgrounds in May that attracted people from 26 states. Dodrill said she decided to create the Heritage Explorers Fest about three years before, and had 300 kids at the event there in 2025. They were also going to have an herbalism fest in November of 2025.
- The 2026 Heritage Explorers Fest Facebook event page
- Southwest Ohio Homeschoolers website
Melissa Renee of “Handwritten Heals” in Highland County was one of the participants in last year’s Heritage Explorers Fest.
She said her family lives on a Highland County farm in Amish country. She has experience in allopathic medicine, but had been working on naturopathic medicine – and has had success with improving her 10-year-old son’s autism.
Renee said they live off the land, and their children get hands-on experience for their home studies. She also advocates for home schoolers, helps with domestic violence in her ministry, and is a practitioner in pediatrics, autism, and neurodivegent issues.
Handwritten Heals has a website, Facebook page, and other social media.
Snapshots of the event
