The Monastery of the Holy Spirit is inviting the public to its annual Fall Festival and Health Fair this Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The fall festival is the perfect way to experience the beauty of the Monastery grounds with the family. There's a little something for all ages, including a petting zoo and exotic animal zoo, classic car show, book sale, pony ride, hay ride, open air market, arts and crafts and more. Children will thrill at getting up close and personal to domestic and exotic animals. For the lifelong students, there's a lecture series. Concessions will be sold including traditional fair foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers and also Caribbean, Asian and Mexican foods.

In conjunction, the Monastery is giving back to the community with a Health Fair, held in partnership with Rockdale Medical Center and area medical practices. Attendees will be able to have free screenings including vision, dental/oral, dermatology, body mass Index (BMI), bone density, foot screening, depression screening, blood pressure, blood work, prostate/PSA (men only), blood chemistry screening (provides baseline information on Hemoglobin A1C - blood glucose, liver, kidneys, thyroid, and more), Hemoglobin A1C (Blood Draw) A1C, cholesterol, and a spinal screening by a chiropractor. The screenings begin at 11 a.m.

In addition, attendees will be able to ask questions to medical professionals for free and a team of massage therapists will be offering free massages.

In the Lecture Series, audience members will be able to learn about the Native American presence on the Monastery land in centuries past, earthquakes in Georgia, the art form of stained glass, and about spirituality and discovering the "monk within." Lectures begin at 10 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., and 3 p.m. respectively.

Attending the Fall Festival and Health Fair is free but there may be fees for some of the children's activities. No pets allowed.

For more information, go to www.trappist.net . The monastery is located at 2625 Highway 212 SW, Conyers.