Texas State Veggie Fair ‘11 is bigger and better than last year

by Teresa Gubbins

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Vegans are a fun group to party with.

DALLAS — The Texas State Veggie Fair returns for its second year, this time at a better location, with more prelude, more participants, and a heightened public awareness of vegetarian and vegan eating.

The fair takes place on Sunday afternoon at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake (a step up from last year's event, held in the parking lot at Phoenix Project).

But there's also a Kick-Off Party the night before at Sons of Hermann Hall with a DJ, vegan hors d'oeuvres, a raffle/silent auction, and vegan folk coming in from Austin and other parts of Texas.

Aside from an opportunity for the local vegan community to get together, the Texas State Veggie Fair was created as a winking response to the hubbub surrounding the annual State Fair of Texas' Big Tex Choice Awards. If they could fry bubblegum and Coke, why not vegan food, too?

But part of why vegans become vegans involves their concern for animal welfare. This year's event has some well known advocates including Nathan Runkle, founder of Mercy For Animals, whose focus is preventing cruelty to farmed animals; and the Animal Rescue Coalition Corps (ARC), a group that has rescued abused animals from hoarders.

There'll also be talks from Julianna Hever, who wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition, and Marisa Miller Woflson, director of the documentary Vegucated, which is being screened at the Texas Theater on Saturday afternoon. It's pretty much a vegan weekend blowout.

Live bands including Here Holy Spain, Bravo Max!, Goodnight Ned, and Plow Boy will perform. But the big thing will be food. Participants include Spiral Diner, Denton Vegan Cooperative, Little Eden Bakery, Hail Merry, Holy Kombucha, Nada Moo!, and food trucks including Jackalope Mobile Kitchen and Gennarino's. Vegan food manufacturers will serve samples, including Tofurky, Gardein, Starlite, Sophie's Kitchen, Upton's, WayFare, and Honest Tea.

If you've ever attended one of the various local vegan drinking sessions, you already know that vegans are a pretty fun group to party with.