Tampa Celebrates First Annual Veg Fest, Sustainability

Eating your veggies has never been done festival style, at least not in Tampa Bay.

The first annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest will be hosted at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Longtime vegetarian, vegans and anyone interested in learning more about sustainable and healthy food alternatives, are encouraged to attend.

"We're trying to actually raise awareness about all of the benefits of a vegetarian diet, which includes people's health and support of a compassionate diet," says John Moyer, board member of Florida Voices for Animals. "There are a lot of these factory farms in place right now where the way the animals are treated is just horrendous."

Florida Voices for Animals are the organizers of this first-time event. The organization is an all volunteer, nonprofit, grassroots organization whose mission is to educate the public on how to make compassionate choices on behalf of non-human animals and to support and encourage vegetarians and vegans in the Tampa Bay region and beyond.

Guest speakers at Veg Fest include: MacKenzie Green, Miss District of Columbia USA 2010; Amy Hatkoff, author; and Sophia Erlsten, M.Ed., humane education presenter. Artists will be featured, specializing in everything from watercolor and acrylic paintings to vegan-friendly, mixed media arts and crafts, plus live music and entertainment.

Veg Fest 2010 is accepting applications for their Artists' Corner. Interested participants may contact Amber Simpson at [email protected]. For a list of participating vendors, click here.

From eco-friendly exhibitors and restaurants to fun games for kids and dog and cat adoption services, attendees can expect to be educated and entertained.

Writer: Nancy Vaughn
Source: John Moyer, Florida Voices for Animals