Over 25 international artists come together September 28 – October 1 in Bloomington, Indiana, for the 24th annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival. The four-day festival packs nine downtown venues with internationally recognized artists representing over 20 countries, including Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, Ethiopia, Denmark, India, and beyond. The music is as diverse as the geography, showcasing notes of folk, parranda, Ethio-jazz, Latinx alt-rock, polyphonic vocals, French fusion, Appalachian African-American, big Balkan brass, and more.

As the flagship program of the non-profit Lotus Education & Arts Foundation, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is one of the oldest world music festivals in the U.S. and the only one of its kind in Indiana. Established in 1994, the Festival now attracts more than 12,000 people to downtown Bloomington each fall for 4-5 days of music and arts from around the globe. Through the Festival, Lotus creates – on a grand scale – the rare opportunity for audiences to experience places far removed from their everyday routines and to broaden their worldview through the arts. In doing so, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival contributes to the Lotus Education & Arts Foundation mission: to create opportunities to experience, celebrate, and explore the diversity of the world’s cultures, through music and the arts.

Festival passes and one-day tickets will be available beginning August 1. Free activities, family fun, parades, and visual arts are also available on Festival weekend. Preview artist and event details at lotusfest.org.

Free plant swap hosted by the Bloomington Organic Gardeners Association (BOGA). Bring plants and seeds to share and/or swap. Native plants, tree saplings, and seeds are encouraged but all non-invasive plants are welcome.

Hoosiers Outrun Cancer is hosted by the Bloomington Hospital Foundation and is a 5K and 1-mile run/walk race that benefits the IU Health Olcott Center. The Olcott Center provides the local community with cancer prevention and early detection and assists cancer patients and families with information on cancer diagnosis and treatment. Last year alone, they provided information and services to more than 12,000 people. That includes nearly 6,000 encounters with patients under treatment, cancer survivors and family members – seeing an average of almost 500 patients per month.

The services offered by the IU Health Olcott Center are all FREE OF CHARGE thanks in large part to Hoosiers Outrun Cancer and the amazing runners, walkers and volunteers who support the race. The dedication and commitment from our community over the past 17 years has helped raise nearly $3 million in support of the Olcott Center and cancer related services. Together we’ve had a positive impact on the lives of thousands of cancer patients.

We invite you to run in memory of a loved one, walk in honor of someone battling cancer, or simply gather a fun team for a fantastic cause! Please join us on September 30, 2017, for Hoosiers Outrun Cancer’s 18th running which takes place on the beautiful Indiana University campus!

Jeannie Regan-Dinius, our keynote speaker from Indianapolis, is a self-described genealogist and social historian. Her official job title is director of Special Initiatives for the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historical Preservation. Her official duties include cemetery preservation and research which includes making a survey of every cemetery in Indiana, big and small, even those that not have a burial in over a century.
Jacci Wood, a trustee of Jefferson Township, is very knowledgeable about the labor and costs of the cemeteries under the trustee’s purview. She will provide an overview of those cemeteries in her township and outline procedures for cemetery preservation in general.
John Maxwell is cofounder of Headstone Healers of Indiana and a FindAGrave volunteer. He has made it his mission to cleanup and repair tombstones, especially those of veterans in Owen County. John will share his expertise about the safest and most effective way to use tools and chemicals preserve tombstones.
Registration begins at 9 AM; the program is free and open to the public.

Overcoming Anxiety and Depression
with Western Buddhist nun Kelsang Namdrol

Saturday, 30 September • 10:30 am – 1:00 pm

Even if you have been dealing with anxiety or depression for a long time, many people find relief from these overwhelming experiences using the timeless methods of mindfulness and meditation. This Saturday half-day course will include guided relaxation meditations, practical teachings, and mindfulness tools you can use in daily life to reduce and eliminate the underlying causes of anxiety and depression. Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are a newcomer to meditation and mindfulness or already have some previous experience.
Cost: $20
Everyone is welcome!

Hoosier Darling entertains Farmer’s Market shoppers this Saturday – Sept. 30 – 11am unitl 12:30 pm with fun-filled, tight harmony tunes. Stop by and say HOWDEEE!

Enjoy up-close performances and educational workshops with world artists including Alash, Kaia Kater, Ladama, Isabel Berglund, and other Festival favorites. Complete Park schedule coming soon!

Plus family fun including “cranky” story-scroll making, a hands-on Art Camp, bicycle corral, merchandise tent, and food from Bloomingfoods & The Chocolate Moose.

Listen to a conversation with Danish textile artist Isabel Berglund, hosted by David Brenneman, the Wilma E. Kelley Director of the Eskenazi Museum of Art.

Isabel Berglund’s artist residency in Bloomington is made possible through a partnership between the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, IU Textile Artist Association, IU Arts and Humanities Council, and the IU Eskenazi Museum of Art.

For more information on the 2017 Lotus World Music Festival please visit their website.

The Rigbys are 5 dedicated, professional musicians/performers who bring the energy, fun and excitement of the 1960’s british music movement to life with musical accuracy and enthusiasm like no other band!

Open House featuring live music with Friday Musicale and Entwyned playing Celtic melodies and old tunes. Photography exhibit featuring Jon Benson’s black and white images of the farm. “Jam Fest” will continue with local jams and jellies to sample and purchase. Opportunity to help clean out the grain barn for sharing with the IU Campus Farm.