Festival of Healing, which was sponsored by the V-Day of Bakersfield with all proceeds going to the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault in Kern County, kicked off with its first event on March 1.
V-Day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls, which has raised over $32,000 for the alliance, to date. Key points in the V-Day mission include an organized response against violence toward women, and the vision that V-Day sees a world where women live safely and freely.
There were plenty of vendors, activities and entertainment at the festival.
Part of the entertainment included live music from a local band made up of Bakersfield College students that go by the name Sweet Harmony.
The band includes guitarist Amanda Mccaslin, drummer Andrew Morgan, on trombone is Omar Murillo, pianist Brian Lee, and on bass is Adam Zanoff.
The event organizer, Guinevere PH Dethlefson stated the festival was “less focused on vagina and more focused on healing.”
This is the 11th year of V-Day in Bakersfield, but this year was the first Festival of Healing. The event went from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 1.
Some vendors included a booth that sold hair barrettes with charms in the center of them, crafts such as kitchen products like Tupperware, and Kama “Rudy” Maccioli who was selling and promoting Spa Escapes BeautiControl.
Maccioli offered a manicure that involved a hand scrub and an intensive moisturizing lotion. Maccioli also handed out free gifts, which included eye cream and candles.
There were also activities for children such as a bounce house.
Another activity that catered toward adults, but allowed children to partake, was yoga. The reason for yoga was “an opportunity to share yoga with people and talk about the way yoga can bring healing to our lives,” according to Shonna Shearson, yoga teacher at Inner Bodyworks of Bakersfield.
Dethlefson urges people to attend a V-Day event, which will be going on throughout the month.
“The Vagina Monologues,” an award-winning play by Eve Ensler that started the V-Day movement, will run March 7-8 at 8 p.m. at the Spotlight Theatre on 1622 19th St. Admission will be $20 per person.
“A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer,” a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, will take place the following weekend on March 14-15 at 8 p.m. at the same venue for the same price.
To learn more about V-day’s beneficiary, go to www.KernAlliance.org.
For more information about V-Day events, please visit them at www.VDayBakersfield.org.