Aurora partnered with some musical artists to host a festival in downtown Aurora Saturday evening that encouraged young people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Back the Vax Music Festival at Water Street Square at 44 E. Downer Place showcased some of the area’s hip-hop and rap musicians as well as traditional Mexican music. The VNA Health Care mobile vaccine clinic was at the event to provide COVID-19 vaccinations.
The event was held on the same day the Kane County Health Department announced that Kane County is now among the suburban counties that have reached a level of COVID-19 transmission deemed “substantial.” The department is recommending all individuals including those fully vaccinated wear masks in indoor public settings per U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
Marco Barajas, a pharmacist and co-leader of vaccination clinics at VNA Health Care, was optimistic Saturday evening after a handful of vaccines were administered at the downtown Aurora event.
“We are doing what we can to reach out into the community,” Barajas said. “I answered a lot of questions. If people didn’t get a vaccine today, it may encourage them to get vaccinated at one of our sites in the future.”
When it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s all about education, he said.
“People need to come to their own decision and comfort level,” Barajas said.
The downtown event was a continuation of Aurora’s equity-focused vaccination clinics held earlier this year through the Black Vax Aurora, Latin Vax Aurora and Indian Vax Aurora initiatives, city officials said. The importance of getting people 12 years old and older vaccinated was central, organizers said, and a confetti cannon sprayed colorful pieces of paper into the air whenever someone got vaccinated at the fest.
The free festival featured artist booths, local businesses and food trucks as well.
Ariel Smith of Aurora decided to start a self-care products business during the pandemic selling her handmade body oils and scrubs. She launched Glow with Flo earlier this year.
“I have been doing great because of the support in the community,” Smith said.
She said events like the Back the Vax Music Festival are important.
“I appreciate the festival represents different cultures,” Smith said. “Aurora is a melting pot. This is a great opportunity to come together for a good time, enjoy one another’s company and get vaccinated.”
The Illinois Arts Alliance, a state nonprofit organization, reached out to suburban communities including Aurora to host events promoting arts and culture and to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccination, city officials said.
“We’re encouraging the vaccine through arts and culture,” said Jenn Byrne Evans, director of the Aurora Public Arts Commission.
She reached out to three curators that represented the visual and musical arts for the event.
“We came up with the concept to have an event that brings different parts of the community together. It’s critical that we as artists are not expressing opinions (on the COVID-19 vaccine). We have medical providers to give out information,” she said.
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Several hundred people attended the festival in downtown Aurora.
“It’s awesome the city is giving people the opportunity to get vaccinated and cool all of these musical artists are in one place. We heard some old-school hip-hop,” Emily Radick said.
Alison Wardein came with her grown children to the event downtown.
“It’s all great. People need to get educated on different cultures and the vaccine,” Wardein said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.