Twin Cities Veg Fest 2014 Exhibitor Hall © A Frame Forward Photography
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 US
Sunday’s third annual Twin Cities Veg Fest was a huge success, with around 2,300 people trying delicious vegan food, learning about animal issues, and celebrating compassion. We had a long line of people even before we opened, which was good because Minneapolis city council member Cam Gordon was there to read his Meatless Monday proclamation for Minneapolis. We’re so grateful to Cam for supporting this crucial campaign.
Once we opened the doors, the crowds flooded the Great Hall at Coffman Memorial Union. Long lines formed for all the delicious samples and food to buy, including donuts from Glam Doll Donuts, meat-free meats from The Herbivorous Butcher, and dairy-free cheesecake from Muddy Paws Cheesecake. Yum!
We were thrilled with the cooking demos at this year’s festival. Every session was done in front of a packed room, with latecomers getting stuck outside the door (sorry!). I was lucky to catch some of Mistress Ginger‘s demo. Not only was she making delicious food, but she managed to keep the audience engaged and laughing the whole time.
And as usual, our speakers delivered. I sat down to listen to Taylor Radig’s powerfully moving presentation on her time as an undercover investigator. She gave us a firsthand account of the terrible cruelty that animals on factory farms endure. Fortunately, events like Twin Cities Veg Fest are helping us all move toward a more compassionate world.
We offer our thanks to all of the speakers, cooking instructors, and volunteers who came out to support this event. We truly appreciate their hard work and dedication. Also, big thanks to the festival planning committee. Putting together an event of this size is a truly epic task, and everyone on the committee worked diligently over the past year to pull it off.
I was also inspired to see how many people joined us at Sunday’s event. If you were able to attend, thanks for coming! We hope that you had a wonderful time. If you’re interested in getting further involved with CAA, let us know. You can volunteer, donate, or attend another one of our upcoming events.
The struggle to give animals the respect and compassion they deserve has been going on for many years, but we envision a day in the future when what we hope for will become a reality. We believe that events like Twin Cities Veg Fest get us a few steps closer to that day.
For the animals,
Dave Rolsky
Twin Cities Veg Fest Committee Chair