The community is invited to come out and celebrate recovery at Hope Fest on Sept. 25 at Brown County Schools’ Eagle Park.
The fourth annual Hope Fest kicks off with a walk for recovery beginning at noon.
“We really want to invite the whole community to come out and walk for recovery for this community, for other community members,” organizer Lisa Hall said.
Hope Fest is put on by Do Something Inc., a local nonprofit which operates the Launch House in Nashville that helps those in addiction recovery.
Following the walk a softball tournament between those in recovery will begin at 1 p.m. and will go until 5 p.m. At that time the Eric Maitlen Band will perform until 5:45 p.m.
The championship softball game between the recovery bracket winner and the Brown County Sheriff’s Department will start 6 p.m.
“It is going to be a really fun day,” Hall said.
A rain date has been scheduled for Sept. 26.
Last year almost 200 people came out to attend Hope Fest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re hoping for a good crowd this year,” Hall said.
There is no cost to attend and concessions will be available for purchase. Hope Fest T-shirts and hats will also be for sale.
“We don’t want to just make this about recovery for those who are battling addiction, but we want the community to come out and really support it,” Hall said.
“This is something when we talk about doing something this is something they can do. They can come out and participate in a walk around beautiful Eagle Park, just band together with us.”
Sheriff Scott Southerland said the biggest benefit of Hope Fest is that law enforcement can interact with those in recovery in a different setting.
“Normally we’re the police, we’re arresting them and they’re breaking the law. It humanizes both sides,” he said.
“They see us in different environments, they are normal people like we are and they see the same thing in us. It hopefully makes us more approachable… We’re not the enemy and we want to help them if we can.”
Hall said community members showing up to support those in recovery is a powerful statement.
“I think people would be amazed at how much it means to them that they are not shunned or they are not put aside,” she said.
“They already are in engrossed in self-labeling and so to see a community who doesn’t label them is very, very powerful.”
