Spirit, Culture, and Creativity Converge at EnlightenNext Lawn Party in the Berkshires

Day Will Include Dialogue with India’s Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Gourmet Vegetarian Fare, & a Free Jazz Concert

06.25.2010 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jaclyn Stevenson, Winstanley Partners; o) 413.637.9887 x. 126 / c) 413.209.0500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jaclyn Stevenson, Winstanley Partners; o) 413.637.9887 x. 126 / c) 413.209.0500

LENOX, Mass. – The historic, 220-acre property at Foxhollow in the Berkshire hills will be the venue for a day-long spiritual and cultural celebration hosted by EnlightenNext, featuring a dialogue on spiritual activism with Swami Chidanand Saraswati from Rishikesh, India and EnlightenNext founder Andrew Cohen, a three-course gourmet vegetarian buffet, and a free evening world-class jazz concert on the lawn on Friday, July 30.

Swami Chidanand Saraswati, who will be in the U.S. as part of a global tour, will also be a special guest at the event and engage with EnlightenNext founder Andrew Cohen in a dialogue titled ‘Spiritually Enlightened Activism: Changing the World from the Inside Out.’ Swami Chidanand is the founder of the Indian Heritage Research Foundation (IHRF), an
international nonprofit organization that supports schools, women’s vocational training, medical clinics, and orphanages, as well as the president of the Parmarth Niketan Ashram, one of India's largest spiritual institutions. He’s also a recipient of the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award.

Designed with an ‘open house’ format, guests are welcome to visit Foxhollow at any point during the day (see schedule below). The event will include a gourmet vegetarian buffet for purchase, prepared by Executive Chef and owner of Kosmic Cooking catering Katherine Miller, and an outdoor concert featuring Israeli jazz-rock guitarist Oz Noy, five-time Gibson Female Jazz Artist of the Year Award-winner Leni Stern, Saturday Night Live band member James Genus, and the Berkshire based jazz-funk-rock band Unfulfilled Desires, who will appear upon return from two performances in Paris, France.

Bob Voss, EnlightenNext’s Chief Executive Officer, said the diverse event is reflective of the different ways people can contribute to creating the culture of higher values. “Our annual July 30th celebration, which we are now calling ‘Evolutionary Enlightenment Day,’ marks an important milestone in the development and unfolding of our work at EnlightenNext,” said Voss, noting that multimedia presentations and displays at the event will better explain these principles.

“This is a day when we reflect on our work and the impact we want to have in addressing with others the many concerns and issues we are facing in today’s world. “Although we have held five events open to the community in the past, this year we want to really throw our doors open to share and celebrate with our friends, neighbors, and associates far and wide. That positive, creative spirit that is the fuel for all the work we are doing,” Voss continued. “The day of activities ranging from a dialogue on spiritually enlightened activism to a delicious vegetarian buffet and lots of fantastic music and good company is our offering back to the local community and beyond.”

The event will kick off at 12 p.m. on Friday, July 30 and continue with musical performances ongoing into the evening,
beginning at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to anyone, but EnlightenNext requests that guests RSVP to attend the public talk or gourmet meal by emailing eeday@enlightennext.org. For more information, visit
www.enlightennext.org/eeday or call 413.637.6000.
-30-

About EnlightenNext: Founded in 1988 by Andrew Cohen, EnlightenNext is a global 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Lenox, Mass. Its principles are centered on the concept of Evolutionary Enlightenment, which aims to pair spiritual values and individual responsibility with the contemporary concerns of today’s world through events, educational courses, and publications. EnlightenNext has additional locations in New York, Boston, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Rishikesh (India), and Copenhagen,plus a membership base spanning 20 countries. It also has an ongoing slate of international events and conferences that are designed to help individuals directly participate in both personal and cultural evolution, and has published EnlightenNext magazine since 1992, which is now offered in five languages.

Schedule:
12 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Dialogue with Swami Chidanand and Andrew Cohen
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Open House and Gourmet Vegetarian Buffet; multimedia presentations
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – World-class Jazz Concert on the Lawn with Oz Noy, Leni Stern, and Unfulfilled Desires
Sponsors Include:

Shear Designs
New England Tick & Mosquito
Classical Tent
Legacy Bank
Winstanley Partners
Elie Saddik
John Toole Insurance
Bombay Grill
Native Energy
Yankee Septic
Consolati Insurance
C D Whitney
JD Reber
Pilates of the Berkshires
C G Blacktop
Berkshire Coop
Joe's Diner
4D Music, Inc.
Schumann Printers, Inc.
Dresser Hull Company
Lenox Village Pharmacy
Berkshire Mountain Bakery
Albert's Organics
Aerus Electrolux
Cakewalk Bakery & Cafe
Pierce Bros. Coffee
Haddad Auto
Berkshire Blue
High Lawn Farm

Ask a Question or Add Your Comment

Twitter Pitch: I updated the media links for #Enext lawn party tomorrow - great articles all around. #Berkshires; Tweet

News Facts

Oz Noy, Israeli guitarist and composer of the soundtrack to the award-winning documentary A/K/A Tommy Chong will headline
Swami Chidanand Saraswati, who will be in the U.S. as part of a global tour, will also be a special guest at the event and engage with EnlightenNext founder Andrew Cohen in a dialogue titled ‘Spiritually Enlightened Activism: Changing the World from the Inside Out.
A three-course vegetarian buffet for purchase will be prepared by Chef Katherine Miller for purchase ($20)
Admission is free and open to anyone
Schedule:
12 p.m. to 2 p.m. – Dialogue with Swami Chidanand and Andrew Cohen
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Open House and Gourmet Vegetarian Buffet; multimedia presentations
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – World-class Jazz Concert on the Lawn with Oz Noy, Leni Stern, and Unfulfilled Desires