New Vrindaban Community will host the tenth annual Festival of Inspiration on May 7 – 9. Over 1,000 people will travel to Marshall County for the three-day event. “Every year, I rent cabins at Grand Vue Park for the festival,” said Malati Dasi, GBC in New Vrindaban. “The local hotels and motels will also be hosting festival goers that weekend.”

Each morning, the festival begins with a plenary session that is open to everyone. “The plenary sessions feature some of the current leaders of the Hare Krishna movement. They have international reputations and are leaders in their fields,” said Malati.

Friday’s plenary session will include a clip from the series “Memories of Srila Prabhupada: A Modern Say Saint,” followed by a discussion by the producer and the individuals in the clip. Saturday’s plenary session will be the North American premiere of “The Lost Village,” a documentary which examines the crisis caused by urbanization and the destruction of traditional village life. Afterward, the producer, Bhakti Vaibhava Swami, will answers questions from the audience. On Sunday, the plenary session will feature Radhanath Swami, author of “The Journey Home,” in which he describes leaving his home in Illinois at age 19 and traveling through the Himalayas in search of God. Radhanath Swami meets mystic yogis who levitate before his eyes, visits an ancient temple hidden in a cave, and finally meets his own guru A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

“Both Bhakti Vaibhava Swami and Radhanath Swami are flying in from India for the Festival of Inspiration. These are two speakers that no one should miss,” explains Malati.

During the day, festival-goers can register for workshops on subjects such as yoga, photography, and spiritual economics. In the evening, there will be free entertainment which is open to the public.

“One of the positive aspects of this year’s festival is that the youth are taking an active leadership role,” said Malati. “The entertainment is being organized by a college student from Florida who grew up in New Vrindaban. Also, one of our head cooks is a young man who grew up in New Vrindaban who is flying in from Canada for Festival of Inspiration.”

New Vrindaban Community is located south of Moundsville – Wheeling, off Route 250. For more information about Festival of Inspiration, contact (304) 845-9591 or www.festivalofinspiration.org.