BON AQUA, Tenn. (WTVF) — It can be amazing to see what two moms can do. Difficult stories brought these moms together. Saturday in Bon Aqua, they're hosting an event they hope will change lives.
"I thought about that as we came in, who was in here playing some music?" Kristi Tinin-Hodge asked Stephanie Beard as they sat in a rustic styled room.
It really was something for Tinin-Hodge and Beard to just think about all the famous people who have walked through this space at The Hideaway Farm in Bon Aqua.
"Johnny Cash and his family resided here at one point in time!" Tinin-Hodge said.
"My husband saw him in the grocery store one morning!" Beard laughed, remembering a story from years ago. "He said his deep voice was like, 'good morning!'"
"There's a lot of history here on these grounds," Tinin-Hodge nodded. "We're going to make some history of our own."
On the morning of Saturday, September 27 at The Hideaway Farm, Tinin-Hodge and Beard are hosting what's called Recovery Fest Hickman. There will be a 5K, live music, craft vendors, things for families to do, and also people sharing their stories of recovery from addiction.
"My son is a person in recovery," Tinin-Hodge said.
Beard and her husband also have a story.
"Our son was an addict, and we lost him," she said. "It'd be five years ago."
Dalton Beard was only 25 when he died from an overdose.
"He'd be 30 this coming Monday," Beard continued, turning her attention to two tattoos on her arm. "This is his handwriting. When he passed, this was his heartbeat. We had him from our heart to the grave."
Two moms have found strength in each other. Tinin-Hodge is with the Hope in Recovery ministry at Hope Church. Beard is with the Booker D. Foundation. They want this event to be something where others can also find their strength as part of a community.
"Just be accepting of one another," Tinin-Hodge said. "Drop that stigma down of 'oh, those people.'"
"My son used to tell me all the time, he didn't want to be an addict," Beard said.
The last time I was in Bon Aqua was March. It was at the Storytellers Museum which was also once owned by Johnny Cash. That time, it for a screening of a film addressing the struggles of addiction for the Cash family. The hope was telling the stories could help someone.
Tinin-Hodge and Beard said it's actually just coincidental that their event is being held at The Hideaway Farm when Cash was open about addiction recovery himself. They hope Cash would be proud to see this, two moms working to help people.
"We're the face of addiction as much as, in my opinion, anyone who's actively using," said Tinin-Hodge.
"Several of [my son's] friends in addiction used to tell me he helped so many of them," Beard said. "We wanted to keep my son's name alive."
For more on Recovery Fest Hickman, visit here.
It's migratory season for billions of animals across the United States. That means millions of birds and butterflies will take a rest stop in Tennessee and Kentucky as they move south for winter. Tennessee state parks are working to create vital habitat for the migrating monarchs. You may be able to follow their lead around your home to help reverse a declining monarch population.
- Lelan Statom
