Movement, Healing, Wellness
- Category: Folk Fest News
by Kara Schmidt
4:00 pm
Kara is a leader in wellness in the Paoli area and is working with schools to use principles of movement as a way to help students struggling with behavioral issues. A certified yoga instructor, she works at So IN Body Movement, Yoga, & Wellness in Paoli and has also taught at Chaturanga Holistic Fitness, Sun and Moon Beach Yoga, Compass Yoga, Bloom Yoga Studio, and Spacious Heart Yoga. She studied at Goshen College, Bluffton College, and Paoli Jr.- Sr. High School. She and her husband Andrew Gerber are community leaders in the arts. Their Black Vulture Project in Paoli connects with the art community and hosts creators of all kinds through music events, art openings, concerts, film screenings, and workshops. They are also among the visionaries and founders of the popular PaoliFest, a free music, art, and film festival.
Children and adults will enjoy an interactive personal experience with live raptors such as a falcon, an owl, and possibly a hawk. Volunteers will answer questions and share stories of birds that have been injured and can’t survive in the wild, and now serve as ambassadors for their species. They will also tell birds that have recovered from an injury and set free. The Talon Trust, Inc., based in Evansville, serves the southwestern Indiana region and is a local, volunteer-based organization dedicated to education and the conservation of native raptors through rescue, rehabilitation, and, if possible, release. Operations are made possible through public, individual, and corporate donations, grants, and program fees. Volunteers operate all rescues and programs out in the community. Funding goes toward helping to feed and care for the injured birds as well as outreach programs. For more info, visit 
Hear firsthand about the creation of an amazing, recurring event in neighboring Orange County. Supporting opportunities for "creative aging", the producers of Hoosier Hometown Live will share the story of Paoli's radio show, which draws on the talents of local citizens of all ages to enhance quality of life. Imagine Garrison Keillor's popular, live, public radio show Prairie Home Companion set in southern Indiana. This regularly sold-out, homegrown series happens four times a year. The next show is Nov. 15. The old-time radio show, filled with down-home music, tall tales written by local citizens, and a variety of other nonsense and creativity, includes audience participation and fun for the whole family. The show airs live on Orange County's WSEZ, FM 98.7. All proceeds benefit the local community.
Mainland Ukes is a homegrown family business based in Brown County, Indiana, dedicated to providing quality performance ukuleles at a great price. "Our small company started because we love the ukulele," states owner Mike Hater. "We always enjoy meeting others who feel the same way." Mainland Ukes proudly supports several schools and regional clubs, encouraging folks to enrich their lives with music. The business also hosts the Brown County Ukulele Festival, the Ukulele World Congress, and are involved with several ukulele and musical events in the Midwest and beyond. Mike will talk about the resurgence of the ukulele's popularity across the Midwest and ways the happy little instrument is bringing the joy of music to many people's lives, including how schools and libraries are looking to the ukulele as a way to introduce people to the world of music. 
Clint Hall has appeared with the Midwest Clean Comedy All Stars and is a winner of the 2019 Clean Comedy Challenge in Nashville, Tennessee. He will be discussing finding your individual comedy voice, constructing jokes, building a comedy set and the importance of keeping your sense of humor in an increasingly serious world. A former professional wrestler, Clint was born and raised in rural Indiana, the youngest of four children in a very funny household. He learned at a very early age, the best way to be heard by the rest of the family was to make them laugh. For more info, see 