Men In Heels, Summerfest Fight Domestic Violence

Saturday was dedicated to preventing domestic violence and celebrating four lives that were cut short last May in an Ammon homicide.

One click-clack at a time, came dozens of high heels through the heart of Idaho Falls. But there was a twist.

“I think I have a blister on my pinkie toe,” said participant and reporter Brett Crandall.

The feet in those heels belonged to men.

“I can feel the burn in my butt actually,” said Travis Spencer.

It was Spencer’s second time participating in the “Walk a Mile in her Shoes” event, and he wore the same white-patent-leather-lace-up platforms he donned last year.

“Ankle support,” said Spencer. “Or ‘cankle’ support I should say.”

It was all to march 5,280 feet through downtown to take a stand against domestic violence.

In 2010 alone, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Center in Idaho Falls, or DVSAC, worked with more than 900 victims.

“This is a great way for men to talk and lead other men in the community on a peer level,” said Teena McBride, executive director of DVSAC.

This year’s walk drew 40 men. Young boys to law enforcement officers raised over $11,000 for DVSAC. Some dared to dance, while others dashed across the finish line.

“I can’t get them off,” said participant Ryan Holland.

As morning turned into afternoon, stiletto’s became slippers for the first annual Summerfest.” It was a collaboration between DVSAC and diversity awareness organization Breaking Boundaries.

An obstacle course for fuzzy footed runners along Memorial Drive kicked off activities in honor of the Kern family. Last May, police say an ex-boyfriend killed Michelle Kern, her sister Malinda, and the former-couple’s two young sons in the Kern family home, before taking his own life.

But bed races and slipper runs aside, all donations from Summerfest will go to Mike and Bobby Kern to help them relocate to a new house for a fresh start.

“They definitely deserve it. It’s been a complete tragedy so I’m hoping for a great turn-out,” said Brittany Hansen, who works with Bobby Kern.

But in the face of an unthinkable tragedy that shook the community to its core, Saturday’s events brought mostly smiles

For information on how to donate to the Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Center, call 208-529-4352.

To contribute to Family Fresh Start for the Kern family, visit http://familyfreshstart.org.

Or you can mail donations to: Family Fresh Start, PO Box 51421, Idaho Falls, ID 83405