A lifestyle festival featuring holistic eating, camping, rock climbing and more is coming to Northwest Arkansas next weekend.
Hosted by local company Fayettechill, the End of Summer Daze will be Aug. 22-24 at Hazel Valley Ranch in Fayetteville. The festival is in four parts: outdoor recreation, holistic living, music and entertainment and artistic stimulation, said Devin O'Dea, event director and co-owner of Fayettechill. Up to 300 guests will camp on the 300 acres at the ranch, he said, noting that the festival is limited to this number of people because of the idea of "quality of experience over quantity of experiences." He hopes people will fully engage in the the activities and get to know each other at this community-oriented festival.
Go & Do
End of Summer Daze
When: 5 p.m. Aug. 22 through noon Aug. 24
Where: Hazel Valley Ranch, 16330 Olive Road in Fayetteville
Cost: $65 for general admission and $100 for VIP admission, which includes use of indoor, air-conditioned rest rooms and heated showers
Information: Purchase tickets online at shop.fayettechill.c…. Contact Devin O’Dea for more details at devin@fayettechill.…
The most experimental part of the festival will be the holistic living aspect, O'Dea said. Native Nectar Juice Co. will be selling its local cold-pressed juices throughout the entire weekend. Around three pounds of raw, fresh organic produce is in every 16-ounce bottle, and cold-pressed juice features enhanced taste and greater nutrient retention than other juicing methods, according to the Native Nectar website, nativenectarjuice.com.
Wilson Wood, co-owner of Native Nectar Juice Co. and festival health director, said the holistic living portion of the event is "going to be centered around healing the body." Education will be an important aspect of the holistic living component, he said, noting that there will be talks on how to detoxify the body and how to cook healthier. Sadie Mcdonald from The pAth Outfitters in Fayetteville will be teaching a class on holistic eating, which will include what kind of foods are best for the body, how to prepare and cook them and why they need to be incorporated into people's diets, he added.
"Eating organically and clean is the main suggestion I would give for having a healthy lifestyle. Of course, I'm a huge advocate for a plant-based diet, but it's not the only way. Having a well-rounded diet with balance is key," Wood said.
There also will be several local practitioners who will be offering alternative healing methods like Reiki, acupuncture, sound vibrational healing, crystal healing and massage, Wood said. O'Dea said these are all different schools of thought on "how to kind of chill you out using their techniques." Guided meditations and and yoga classes will be part of this event as well.
O'Dea said outdoor recreation is a top component of the festival. Activities include introductory rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, longboarding and fishing.
O'Dea noted that he wanted to put this festival together because Fayettechill often posts pictures of people doing outdoor activities, and some people have commented that they don't know how to do these things or asked where and how they can take part in these activities. The idea of the festival is to make everything accessible, noting it is "a buffet style for outdoor recreation."
"Try a little bit of everything, see what sticks, and maybe something stays in the mind and it develops into a passion," O'Dea said.
Fayettechill put on a similar festival last year at the end of June called Summer Solstice. O'Dea said the organizers decided to give it a fresh name after moving it later in the summer and changing locations, but the spirit of that festival will continue on in the End of Summer Daze.
For the music and entertainment portion, Farmer and the Markets, Goose, Shawn James Band and Fractal Sky will perform Aug. 22. The next day, Irie Lions, Goose, Cadillac Jackson, Archnemesis and Great Escape will entertain guests, and the evening will close with the End of Summer Daze Dance Party.
Other elements of the festival include a community art project, drawing and painting workshops, a hammock art project and "create your own something amazing station." O'Dea said this station "allows you to creatively express yourself."
After taking part in Summer Solstice last year, Wood said he knew he had to be part of End of Summer Daze.
"It's a chance for us to not only have fun and experience what the Ozarks have to offer but to learn from our community and share knowledge with each other," Wood said. "I can't wait to see so many different types of people from all different walks of life coming together for one unique event."
NAN Life on 08/13/2014