Weekend of kindness, wellness planned for June
Forces are uniting next month to bring peace and unity to the community through a weekend of wellness events and activities.
The first weekend in June will begin with the Creemore Kindness Festival on Saturday, June 7. The free event will include activities that focus on kindness to self; kindness in community; and kindness to the planet.
Hosted by Nicole Hambleton, of Purple Tent Wellness, the inaugural Kindness Festival will be held rain or shine at Creemore Village Green from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
A festival of this nature is something that Hambleton has been wanting to see happen for several years. She said she wanted to do something to incorporate her core values of love, kindness and joy.
She said the overall intention is to grow kindness in our community.
Hambleton said kindness starts with one’s self, which creates a ripple effect into the community and the planet.
The festival will include presentations from the main stage and activity booths set up on the green.
The day begins with an opening address and a heart-centered meditation by Hambleton.
“That’s to get us connected to ourselves, to our hearts, and to our own self kindness,” she said.
Also on the main stage will be yoga at 10:30 a.m. (no equipment needed), a performance by Hot Pants at noon, and a song circle led by Juliette Annesley at 2 p.m.
Booths will offer activities for all ages: write a letter to a senior in the community; paint a picket for the Clearview EcoPark; plant a seed with the Hort Society; make giant bubbles; have an intuitive poem written for you; participate in deep conversation; try introspective wellness journalling; paint a rock; and leave a note on the random acts of kindness tree, where people can pledge how to move kindness forward. There will be also be free hugs, Shelley Hannah’s Love Notes, connection games, and a cupcake fundraiser for the food bank (this is the only booth where a fee applies).
Hambleton is hoping that people will spend some time at the festival, and the Creemore Farmers’ Market which is happening that same morning.
Following the Kindness Festival, Hannah is presenting Shine, a celebration of local talent, from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“The whole idea is to support people in community and make them feel seen,” said Hambleton.
Hannah describes Shine as “an invitation to step out of our comfort zones and to really shine who we are and what we love… to be actively creating that more beautiful world our hearts know is possible, right here in Creemore.”
All manner of talents are welcome and encouraged, from singing and poetry, gymnastics and magic, to the unexpected.
It is free to attend and participate. Performances must be family-friendly and be under three minutes for individuals and five minutes for groups and have a quick set-up.
On Sunday, June 8 the Community Healing Collective will host the second annual Wellness Day at Station on the Green for those looking to add to their “health tool box.”
Last year’s event was organized by Hambleton and Yvonne Bloom, better known as Swan. While Hambleton has taken a step back to focus on the Kindness Festival, she will be a vendor at the Wellness Day, which is intended to connect the community with thoseoffering a wide variety of healing modalities.
There will be 28 vendors on hand to share their knowledge of different wellness practices including massage, kinesiology, crystal healing, biofeedback, biomagnetism, energy balancing and more. Some mini sessions will be offered free and some have a fee. There will also be food and beverage vendors.
Three keynote speakers include Elke Scholz speaking about the power and movement of thought at 10:30 a.m.; Diane Mazza’s talk On Sacred Land at 1 p.m.; followed by a show wrap-up and sacred offering to Mother Earth from Bloom and David Sampson at 3 p.m.
Find Creemore Kindness Festival on Instagram. For more information about the Wellness Day, visit Community Healing Collective on social media channels. Those interested in participating in Shine are welcome to contact shelleyhannah@proton.me or call 519-994-0449.
Photo: Nicole Hambleton
