On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, Saturday, April 20, hundreds of people enjoyed the third annual Head to Cleats Festival in Proprietors Park along the Gloucester City waterfront to get mentally and physically fit together.
The Opening Ceremony began at the Betsy Ross Pavilion with a speech by Michele Kidd, founder of Nate’s Story which co-sponsored the festival along with the Gloucester City Youth Soccer League.
It featured performances by the Alice Costello School Choir and the Mulford School of Dance and the presentation of the Keeptalking Award to Elizabeth Bakey, the club advisor of the Nate’s Story Club at Gloucester City High School.
“We have to continue the conversation about mental health in hopes of eliminating the stigma,” Bakey said to the throng of people seated on the lawn. “We have to keep talking.”
GHS students in the club, including Korine Mastrangelo, Brianna Moreno, Ava Pouliot and Janiyan Rivera, distributed information about mental health awareness at one of the 50 vendor tables set up along the drive into the park.
Kidd also announced the winners of the Nate’s Story art contest, and presented an award to GHS student Bree Williams for her beautiful picture using the word “grow.” Williams described it as “You can get through the hard times. You can get through what you’re facing and grow from it. You can grow a more positive mindset for yourself and keep going.”
In her opening remarks, Kidd said, “I would like to begin by thanking everyone for being here and especially those involved with making the Head to Cleats Festival so successful. Without all of you, the event wouldn’t be what it is. And now we are in our third year.
“I formed the nonprofit Nate’s Story in memory of my son Nathaniel who I lost to suicide on December 7, 2019. In April of 2020 I started a Facebook page as a way to deal with my grief. Our first festival was held on Nathaniel’s 21st birthday, April 23, 2021. It was a beautiful day and it was the beginning of us lining the waterfront with beautiful signs with inspirational quotes, poems, and pictures to help others,” Kidd said.
“This Tuesday is Nathaniel’s 24th birthday. Let’s use today to celebrate. Remember to listen to the messages the day brings and know you are never alone. Be sure to take your time and view the signs by the water and have a great time,” she concluded.
After the ceremony, local bands performed live on the stage all afternoon to the delight of those in attendance, including Gloucester City residents Butch Williamson and Barbara Pollock and their pooch, Pee Wee.
There was plenty to do for everyone, including eating at the food trucks, a beer garden, arts and craft vendors and entertainment, including bounce houses set up by the Gloucester City Fire Department. The festival’s theme was “Getting mentally and physically fit together.”
One of the vendor tables featured members of the Epiphany Church of Gloucester City, including Kristy Martin, Jinel Whiteside, Heidi Weaver and Kathleen Miller. They were selling products to raise money in an effort to buy the former First Baptist Church on the corner of Monmouth and Sussex streets.
Overall, it was a very successful festival and a gorgeous day in Proprietors Park. Plus, attendees learned a lot about the need for mental health awareness throughout society.
