Vegetables are the stars at the Sonoma County Veg Fest on
Aug. 20, the third annual event sponsored by the nonprofit Compassionate Living. The organization first hosted the popular no-meat event in 2014, in honor of Brad Larsen, a dedicated member of the nonprofit whose death inspired donations to Compassionate Living in his name. The Veg Fest features a series of speakers, cooking classes, vegan vendors and, a first for this year, a vegan film festival. A trio of movies will make their Northern California premiere this weekend—Food Choices, Unlocking the Cage and Vegan: Every Day Stories—each of which aims to shine the light on the animal-food industry and the vegan lifestyle.
Festival organizer Hope Bohanec anticipates an event that’s equal parts informative and entertaining, and says it’s “going to be a fun day and a festive day, but we want to educate, especially.” Compassionate Living got its nonprofit certification in 2013, but has been advocating for plant-based living since the 1990s. “What we mainly want,” says Bohanec, “is for people to be using less animal products and more plant-based products.”
Sonoma County Veg Fest, Aug. 20 at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts,
50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. 10am–5pm. $5 entry; film tickets, $10 each. socovegfest.org.
