The Heart of Midtown: Go All In For Mental Health Street Festival will take place this Sat., Sep. 23rd on Field Court in Kingston (across from UPAC). Baltimore-born, Hudson Valley based singer-songwriter Al Olender and Brooklyn-based artist Wormy will headline the festival, along with support from local artists AYI, Satin, FAB, Doj, Dom, Girlswish and Dan Stern. The festival will begin at 2 pm, and end at 9 pm, with live music 7-9 pm by The Classics at Westkill Supply.
Along with music, there will be a variety of free art and wellness activities and workshops, some including: trauma-informed yoga and meditation with United We Om, pickleball courts & lessons with Frank Garafola and Peter Van Loan, a beginner’s carpentry workshop with the task of building a community free little library, Chromatic Studios Hodgepodge Collage, friendship bracelets by Samadhi, Storyboard of Your Life with Unfettered Arts, a DIY journal workshop, a singer-songwriter workshop, live painting, community zine with World’s End Comics, flower bouquet arranging with Adelaar Farms, rock painting, Giving Tree Counseling, meditation of spinning wool by Circle Creative Co., herbalism and tea making, a button-making workshop with the DRAW Center, mini-mandalas with an art therapist, an activity with the Kingston Library, and more. Neighboring businesses like PAKT will be open serving Lekker Frites fries and sliders, Kingston Tattoo Co. will be having a Kindness + Community Tattoos Flash Sale, and Brookelane will be hosting an Optimism Exhibit by Into the Yellow.
The goal of the festival–organized by thrift/vintage/used books/art/gift store Rewind Kingston in Midtown–is to raise awareness of the mental health crisis that faces our youth and provide information about the services and tools that exist in our community. After losing their 19-year-old daughter/sister Cassidy in 2020, the family has made its business mission to help others that struggle with their mental health by raising awareness, donating a portion of proceeds to local mental health organizations, and creating a fun and safe space in their store. Following two cold water plunges in the Hudson to celebrate Cassidy’s March birthday and fun-loving spirit, they turned to education for the third phase of their Go All In campaign to raise awareness of the current mental health crisis.
Owner of Rewind Kingston Joanne Flood credits the community for sparking the idea for a festival: “I believe it’s important to know what is available before a mental health crisis happens so you can get the support and help when needed immediately, feel supported and maybe even prevent a crisis. I learned about so many amazing programs and organizations that exist in our community from talking with customers in the store so we decided to invite them all to share their information while having music, activities and workshops that can help improve your mental health while simultaneously building a supportive community. It’s important to know you are never alone in your fight.”
There will be tables set up to provide information on various local service providers including Ulster County Mental Health, The Maya Gold Foundation, Mobile Mental Health, Samadhi, United We Om, Health Alliance Hospital Partial Program, Giving Tree Counseling, Astor Services, Hudson Valley LGBTQ, NAMI, the Kingston Library, People USA, It’s A Girl Thing, Circle Creative Co., and Community Strong. Free mental health zines with information about mental health, resources, coping skills, art, and local organizations will be given out at the event. The event is made possible with the support of the City of Kingston, Radio Kingston, neighboring businesses, our local mental health organizations, and our amazing Rewind community.
Join the family! 
