Two months ago, Smiling Acres Music Festival was getting underway in Trufant, and it was a 4th of July weekend like no other. Music and fireworks filled the air in Montcalm County, as more than 500 people attended the inaugural event.
“Everything went just as smooth as you could imagine,” property owner Nathan Drews said. “It was perfect.”
“Walking the grounds, everyone was just chillin,” entertainment director Mark Lavengood said. “Listening to the chatter, everyone was talking about how they were having a good time.”
Lavengood not only helped with the lineup, this well-known West Michigan musician also performed at the event on more than one occasion. But the stage wasn’t built for just one event.
“We're in discussion with a few people about events they'd like to have here, weddings coming up and that sort of thing,” Drews said.
In the meantime, how about a weekend of yoga? After seeing the success of the music festival, Lavengood and his partner Carrie LaBarge started planning an event on that same plot of land.
“Carrie and I do an acoustic yoga series where I just improvise music to her gentle flow, and it's usually 45 to 60 minutes,” Lavengood said. “We've been doing that for a few years, and it's always fun doing it in different locations.”
“I've been doing music festivals for so many years, and I love that experience,” LaBarge said. “But what's always been near and dear to my heart is the yoga aspect, the mindfulness and the wellness aspects. So I wanted to incorporate all of that into one and see where it goes.”
After a little brainstorming, they came up with Wild Zen Yoga Fest, again utilizing the prime property in their friend’s front yard.
“We keep taking baby steps, and the further we get, the easier it is to see it as something that could be an event space that's used all year long,” Drews said.
“This is an all-day event dedicated to yoga and mindfulness and well-being,” LaBarge said. “It's a great time for those who don't know much about yoga to experience different types of yoga, and also with the mindfulness elements. And then those that have been practicing for a long time, they can hone in on those different experiences.”
Even people who have never tried yoga will feel welcome at the event, she said.
“The benefits are really full body, physically, emotionally, and mentally. And yoga is really a yolking of mind and body. So you can do breath work which helps with stress management and just overall health. It's also great for anyone who has any kind of physical ailments,” LaBarge said. “Any kind of movement with breath, to me, is yoga. It's a connection of your mind and your body, and it's becoming more in tune with what's going on right now, and taking you out of the spots of what ifs, the future and the past that aren't really happening at all right now. So it's bringing you into the present moment, embodying new experiences, aiding in the health of your mind.”
In addition to yoga, the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4, will offer a variety of classes including reiki, tarot card readings, and sound baths. And for those hoping for more live music, you’re in luck.
“The very first event is actually acoustic yoga, so Mark will be playing with me during that,” LaBarge said. “So you can expect to have a day full of music, as well as yoga and mindfulness.”
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