Wisconsin couple to appear on Discovery Channel’s Series Homestead Rescue premiering June 19th
Traveling to some of the most dangerous, isolated areas in the country and battling all that Mother Nature can throw their way, expert craftsman and survivalist Marty Raney, alongside daughter Misty and son Matt, continue to help families sharpen their homesteading skills and learn to survive off-the-grid in an all-new season of HOMESTEAD RESCUE.
The Episode
A local Wisconsin couple passionate about the Driftless Region gets help from the Raney family, television’s favorite homesteading experts, in Discovery Channel’s HOMESTEAD RESCUE. The season began airing yesterday, and next week a Viroqua, Wisconsin couple Lou Shields and Stacey Roou, will be featured in an episode to air on Wednesday, June 19 at 9pm CST exclusively on Discovery.
Musician & teacher, Lou Shields saved his earnings while living out of a van to pay cash for a cabin built out of reclaimed wood perched up on a high bluff near Viroqua, WI. It was the idea of his then girlfriend and now wife, Stacey Roou – who is passionate about the beauty of Wisconsin –knew she wanted the area to house their forever home. Roou had lived in Neenah, Appleton, La Crosse and Madison and fell in love with the high bluffs, large rock out croppings, and river valleys of the Driftless Region. Being new to homesteading and off-grid living, the couple managed to learn their way with building a barn, sheds, installing solar electricity and chopping and heating with firewood. They have a pasture that they lend to their Amish neighbors free of charge for their cows and horses.
The couple knew they had someplace special with many springs and a horseshoe waterfall that leads to the Kickapoo River. They also bought, dismantled and moved an 1880’s hand-hewn log home they planned to rebuild on a high portion of their 15 acres later this year. The show was an interest to Lou Shields who said he learned so much from it while working on his homestead – coming from Chicago he had the passion and ability but lacked a mentor. Marty, patriarch of the family gave him that experience. A mutual Instagram friend who had been on the show previously gave the couple’s names as a recommendation and that where their whirlwind began!
The Show
From the rugged Driftless Region of Wisconsin, to the remote high desert in Colorado, no homestead is too far gone for the Raney family.
As more and more families opt to escape the pressures of urban life and live remotely and sustainably off-the-grid, many are quick to realize they must face a harsh reality in order to achieve the dream. Whether lacking the necessary bush-craft survival skills, having to constantly protect their livestock from surrounding predators or struggling to master the delicate art of farming, few rookie homesteaders will last beyond the first big winter, rainy season, or natural disaster.
That’s where the Raney family steps in. Each equipped with their own unique set of skills and expertise, the Raney’s have tasked themselves with rescuing these failing homesteads and aiding the homesteaders who are desperate to save their dwellings and new-found way of life from total demise.
Traveling to some of the most dangerous, isolated areas in the country and battling all that Mother Nature can throw their way, expert craftsman and survivalist Marty Raney, alongside daughter Misty and son Matt, continue to help families sharpen their homesteading skills and learn to survive off-the-grid in an all-new season of HOMESTEAD RESCUE.
Check out this teaser video https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/w1qvpmEELH for the episode airing Wednesday, June 19th at 7pm CST on DIscovery Go Channel.
BIOS
Lou Shields is a Midwestern folk musician who plays guitar, banjo and harmonica at festivals and venues throughout the area and on the East & West Coast plus Europe each summer. Lou is also a professor at a college south of Chicago a few days a week plus teaches online. Lou is also a professionally trained artist. Learn more about his history, art and music at www.loushieldsart.com.
Stacey Roou is a Marketing professional with a passion for history, Wisconsin travel and Photography. She runs a SW Wisconsin Tourism page called Driftless Adventures, where she documents cabin life and Driftless region geography.
HOMESTEAD RESCUE is produced for Discovery by Raw Television. For Raw Television, Mike Griffiths and Sam Maynard serve as Executive Producers, and Keeley Van Dyke as Co-Executive Producer. For Discovery, John Slaughter serves as Executive Producer, and Jessica Mollo serves as Associate Producer.
Editor’s note:
Thank you to Lou and Stacey for telling Discovery Channel about DriftlessNow.com. and Jessica Driscoll, Discovery’s Vice President of Communication in New York City for reaching out to us.
I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with them when I was at the Gays Mills, Wisconsin Folk Festival. Very special and immensely talented team. If you missed it, check out the short about the festival we published May 15th on DriftlessNow.com’s Stories page.
Content for this article provided by Vice-President of Communications for Discovery, Jessica Driscoll
