By Rita Lewandowski

If you are a woman who loves the outdoors and wants to get involved with a group of likeminded women, our upcoming Women of the Wilderness (WOW) event is just for you! Mud Maidens was founded to help get women outside and enjoying nature. There is so much to do in the great outdoors.

Mud Maidens would like to invite all ladies, ages 12 and up, to join us for a Saturday full of outdoor education, shopping and fun! We are holding our first WOW event on April 30th from 9am to 4pm. Classes will be available for archery, self-defense, gun safety, trail driving, shooting, how to pack a backpack for a hiking trip, and more are being added as we continue to prepare. The cost is $75 if you preregister on our website at www.MudMaidens.co or $100 at the door on the day of the event. Your registration includes lunch and an event T-Shirt.

There will be all sorts of shopping and vendors at the event. We will have a representative from Dream Builders Realty for all your house buying questions. There will be a representative from Ilderton Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram Fiat on site if you have any questions about buying an off-road vehicle to join us on our trail rides. Speaking of off-roading, Morrison’s Outdoor Adventures will be on site to teach safe off-roading techniques and tips. If you want to learn how to drive this is the group to go through. All the Mud Maiden staff have taken their classes! Tri City Canine will be there to answer all your dog training questions. For those ladies who want to look their best while on the trail Gina Stone will be on site selling Color Street nails.

Boneyard Archery will be teaching and providing archery equipment for archery tag and target practice, and Jamie Cummings of Cummings Mixed Martial Arts will be teaching our self-defense class. The Shooting Group will be teaching the gun safety class and sign up will be available for conceal carry classes. Southern Four Wheel Drive Association will be there to answer any off-road questions as well as provide information about our local trail systems. Also on site will be Pour Paint, Health and Wellness, Robin Brown Designs, and others. We are also excited to have the 99’s, the women’s pilot organization founded by Amelia Earhart herself. If you are interested in aviation or just flying in general, they are a great resource.

We will also have other trips you can sign up for on the day of the event including an overnight hiking trip to Graceland Highlands to see the mini ponies and hike the AT. Please visit our website at www.MudMaidens.co for more information or to ask us questions. We look forward to seeing you all out there!