So Fresh Fest took place April 2 in Branch Brook Park, and is the first of the two-event #RefreshandRide experience followed by the Historical Newark Renaissance Ride on April 9. – IRL TOGETHER FUND
Newark may not inspire thoughts of the great outdoors, but a festival debuting in Branch Brook Park on April 2 aims to highlight the importance of urban green spaces and inspire locals to get their hands into stewardship and preservation for all the benefits that fresh air brings.
So Fresh Fest is an outdoor health and wellness festival that will take place against the backdrop of the city’s many cherry blossom trees. The free public event, which will feature yoga, movement, sound healing, portrait stations and more, was dreamed up by local event producers Lauren LeBeaux and Marcy DePina as a way to highlight the city’s beautiful resources and support its vibrant arts and small business communities. The following weekend, hundreds of local cyclists gear up in fancy renaissance garb for the ninth-annual Newark Historical Renaissance Ride.
Together, the events make up #RefreshandRide, two back-to-back weekends of outdoor opportunity promoted and partially funded by the Together Fund, a $5 million grant program launched by group messaging app IRL to support events that drive cultural impact nationwide. Event producers that apply for and earn grants can, like LeBeaux and DePina, get several thousand dollars to host events that bring people together.
#RefreshandRide is the Together Fund’s nationwide kick-off event.
Both LeBeaux and DePina have been “creating culture in Newark for a long time,” explained LeBeaux, who also founded Brown Girls Bar Crawl and authored the book “100 Things to Do in Newark Before You Die.”
“What we have in common is love for a people of Newark and that we want people to come in and see Newark for themselves. As we know, Newark has a certain reputation that’s very tired and not true at all,” LeBeaux said. “Once people land here, they can see the vibe, the culture, the cherry blossoms … they see it’s a place they can live, work or play, and we love being part of the story to change the narrative of Newark.”
While DePina’s worked in event production for decades, most of it has been in New York City or nationally. All the while, she’s lived in Newark, and one day had an aha moment: instead of putting all of her efforts in elsewhere, how could she give back to her city? The inspiration for the festival also comes from a draw to the outdoors she’s had since youth.
“I grew up in New Bedford, Mass. It was a huge abolitionist city, and I grew up with a lot of radical ideas about claiming space. I was [a] latchkey kid, and I grew up in the park in my neighborhood. When I became 15 and of working age, that was my first job, working as a counselor in those parks,” DePina said. “It taught me about my community and to see myself not just as a poor kid, but a kid surrounded by a lot of resources.”
When the women received the Together Fund grant for So Fresh Fest, they agreed that it was important to stimulate the local economy through its offerings. The festival is chock full of locals: local workshop leaders, local artists, local small business owners.
“We made sure to make sure that most of the money we received we’re recirculating back into the community,” DePina said.
So Fresh Fest will occur from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Branch Brook Park, and a VIP package is available for those who wish to attend but prefer to do so indoors.
On April 9, the Historic Renaissance Ride event kicks off at 9:30 a.m. in Historic Military Park, with wheels leaving the park at 11 a.m. sharp. Riders will travel to several spots around town that offer unique photo opportunities, and end back up at the park at 1:40 p.m. The Yard will host a post-ride social until 4 p.m.
