The Feel Good Festival, a month-long

celebration of well-being and community, will take place
throughout
August in Acadiana. The kick-off event, Stories and Song, will
begin
at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 in Fletcher Hall at the University of
Louisiana
at Lafayette.

Jan Risher, a local writer, introduced the concept of designating
a
month to celebrate life after a visit to County Moray, Scotland
during
the city’s sixth annual Feel Good Festival in October 2017. She
recognized the opportunity for such a fun and simple celebration
in
Acadiana.

“The event I attended amounted to putting chairs in a circle and
creating a safe space for people to read short works of poetry,”
Risher said. “At this point, from where I sit, I believe that
more
people are looking for opportunities for meaningful experiences
and a
chance to make real connections with others than they are looking
for
the equivalent of a Super Bowl halftime production — the Feel
Good
Festival offers just that.”

The premiere event Stories and Song will create a similar
sentiment
with storytelling and a community sing along. In addition to
literature and music, TFGF events will include service projects,
yoga,
a writing workshop and visual art exhibits. The theme for all
events
is “Cool.” The United Way of Acadiana will organize volunteers
and
food drives for TFGF.

Other events include:

· The Feel Good Festival Poetry Share: 2 p.m. Aug. 4 at
Barnes & Noble Bring a poem to read aloud. The poem can be famous,
original or somewhere in between. Readers will simply sit in a
circle
and read poetry one at a time.

· The Full Circle: 5:15 p.m. Aug. 8, Downtown Lafayette
Public Library

The Full Circle 360, a new community group, is launching in
conjunction with the Feel Good Festival. The group is centered on
the
betterment of women and supporting their health, career and
community
endeavors. To learn more, see @thefullcircle360 on Instagram.
Kaitlyn
Melancon is leading this initiative.

· Dino Yoga: 6 p.m. Aug. 23, Dino Yoga Lafayette Science
Museum.

Dino Yoga, open to kids and adults, will unite dinosaur lovers and
yoga enthusiasts to celebrate mind, body, spirit and
stegosauruses.
With one of the coldest HVAC systems in town, the Lafayette
Science
Museum is a great place to beat the summer heat!

· FoodNet Shred-a-thon: 9 a.m. -1 p.m. Aug. 24, Acadiana
Mall
parking lot

Bring your paper to shred and a food donation of canned or boxed
food
items for FoodNet. The shredding will be provided by Stericycle.
Decluttering is cool.

· The Letter You Saved: 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 25, AcA

Sue Schleifer will lead an interactive writing workshop, free and
open
to both teens and adults at all writing levels. If you’d like to
attend, please bring along a letter, email or text message. You
will
use it to develop a poem or a scene for a play.

· Enliven Your Spirit: 6 p.m. Aug. 30, Yoga Garden

Local practitioners will offer an event created from the belief
that
art heals, inspires, invigorates and calls us to expand beyond our
ordinary selves, this event will be a 90-minute session of
indigenous
and expansive sounds, creative writing, invigorating dance and
simple
creative process — all in the spirit of joy! Scratch will serve
nutritious meals at 7:30, along with teas, beer and wine for
reasonable prices. This event will be limited to the first 30
participants. The target audience is 18 and older. There will also
be
a Voter Registration table.

· Feel Good Festival Artsy and Variety Show: 6 p.m. Aug.
31

We’ll close out the Feel Good Festival at Dat Dog with a variety
show. Artists will have their wares on display and for sale. At 7
p.m.
several local standout performers will share their talents.
Admission
to the event is three cans or boxes of food or $5. Proceeds will
go to
FoodNet.

For a complete list of TFGF events, visit the Feel Good Festival
event
page on Facebook. For more information, email janrisher@gmail.com.