When Paula Caracappa organized her first Awaken Wellness Fair in Westchester in 2002, only 42 people showed up to learn about and experience alternative ways to be healthy. Now, 13 years later, the Awaken Wellness Fair is a popular semiannual event, attracting more than 100 exhibitors and 1,000 visitors to Westchester each spring and fall. But Caracappa says the goal of the event has stayed constant: to make people aware of the wide variety of wellness services and products available to them.

“In recent years, the Awaken Fair has expanded to six events each year in the tri-state,” she says. “It attracts men and women who are curious about holistic practices, including the world of ancient healing as well as new, cutting-edge healing and wellness methods.” 

On Sunday, November 22, 2015, the area’s premier body-mind-spirit-green expo will return to its home base of Tarrytown, NY. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 455 South Broadway.

Finkelstein Keynote Speaker

This year’s event will include two rooms of speakers, with a continuous program of talks lasting 45 minutes each. “One room’s talks will have a more scientific basis, while the other will be more metaphysical,” Caracappa says.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Westchester’s renowned “Slow Medicine” physician and the author of Slow Medicine: Hope and Healing for Chronic Illness. “Dr. Finkelstein will explore the need to become aware of each area of our lives and how to optimize our wellness within each of these areas and through their harmonious integration,” Caracappa says. 

Other speakers will include Dr. Peter Muir, who through his interactive singing workshop, “Music as Healing,” will demonstrate how anyone can make music to heal, and Lisa K. presenting “How to Launch and Boost Your Spiritual Business.”

There is no additional charge to attend these talks, each of which will be audio recorded, with CDs available immediately afterward at the Creative Seminars table. “That way, if you miss a talk you wanted to hear, you can get it on CD,” Caracappa says.

Healers and Readers

Practitioners of a variety of modalities—from Reiki and Soul Star Clearing to IET energy healing, aura healing and havening sessions (to release trauma)—will be on hand to teach guests about energy healing. “This growing area of wellness holds possibilities for those who are seeking healing for body, mind or spirit,” Caracappa says.

More than twenty intuitive readers will also be in attendance and available for appointments all day, she says. “Their practices include angel readings, Tarot, runes, numerology and palmistry, as well as others,” she says. “While these sessions are for entertainment purposes only, they continue to grow in popularity at each fair.”

Visitors who purchase a ticket in advance online can then pre-book discounted appointments online with readers and healers. Appointments can also be made in person at the fair itself.

Variety of Vendors

The DoubleTree’s grand ballroom will house a variety of vendors offering the latest products and services to support a healthy lifestyle, Caracappa says.  

Among the many in attendance will be Aura Photos Unlimited, which will work closely with the readers and healers to give guests an opportunity to view the change in their aura before and after a healing session; Arbonne International, Neal’s Yard Remedies and small independent companies like the Pinecone Apothecary, which offer natural cosmetics and treatments; and Bodhi Tree and Crystal Concentrics, which specialize in crystals and minerals.

Several jewelry vendors will be attending, including Intentions Jewelry, Barbara’s Lavender Garden, Crystal Vibrations Jewelry and A & H Jewelry Design, among others. “Jewelry is a big presence at the fair, because looking beautiful is part of feeling beautiful, which can be part of acting beautiful—very holistic,” Caracappa notes.

Other vendors are specialists in hydration or nutrition, such as Flaska, whose water bottles are designed to change water’s vibrational structure for better health; and Nutrition Master Foods, Isagenix and Healthy Gournet-to-Go, all of which offer innovative ways to keep the body fueled. 

“There are so many more health-focused vendors,” Caracappa says. “The only way to connect with them all is to come to the fair.”

Tickets are $10 online until the day before the event and $15 at the door. This year a special $25 VIP ticket has been added, allowing guests early entry, coffee, a before-hours meditation class and the opportunity to book a before-hours session with a reader or healer.

Anyone wanting to buy an online ticket at a discounted price or preview the exhibitors, or any wellness speaker, vendor or company wanting to participate in the fair, should visit AwakenFair.com and click on Tarrytown NY 11-22-15.