Monday, January 12, 2015

Bethlehem Vegfest 4!

The Bethlehem VegFest was held in late August this year; it's one of my favorites. The event is free, so it doesn't just preach to the choir; it fills up with veg-curious and even the not so curious who are just looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's also a wonderful event to bring your pet. The delay of this post is no way a reflection of my love of the fest!

This was my outfit of the day, courtesy of MooShoes via Raven & Crow (or vice versa)...89-approved.


Per usual, we stopped off at Vegan Treats on the way.  This time we were greeted by a giant bowl full of festively wrapped chocolate-covered pretzel rods: both with white or dark chocolate.


All dark for us:

 

There was also a tower of enticing chocolate-covered pretzel cupcakes!


I didn't partake, but they deserved a close-up.


Mini crumb-topped pies (peach or apple?)


I started with a big ol' cup of peanut butter soft serve.


Yep, started.


Much to the delight of a certain numbered dog.


Then VM and I shared a chocolate-dipped speculoos cookie, a triple chocolate donut, and a smore's donut.  Those are our closely guarded pretzels on the side, with a back drop of cookies that- luckily for anyone else who would visit Vegan Treats that day, we managed not to eat.


My bad, we did get a few of those to go, but left plenty for others.

 

Then we were off to the vegfest!

 

One thing to especiallyy love about the Bethlehem VegFest is that they always have produce booths (the omission of which people are constantly complaining about at other vegfests where indoor space is at a premium). Plus, it was particularly adorable the way the melons were displayed.


We'd arrived later than expected, but were lucky to catch most of Gene Bauer's presentation in the speaker tent.


Much like last year when she'd cheered for Danielle Konya, 89 did the same for Gene at the conclusion of his presentation.


And we even got our photo taken with him! You'll note that I'm holding 89 like a sack of potatoes for some inexplicable reason because I was so overwhelmed with glee and admiration for Gene's charm and accomplishments.


Elsewhere on site was some fresh kale growing! If memory serves, it was the project of a local youth group.


I can't help but to wave at the pigs, but my sentiment remains the same from year to year.


And then a visit to our friend and beauty-supplier, The Fanciful Fox!


89 is particularly enamored with one of the proprietors, so she stood as the welcoming committee while I shopped.


Another advantage to having the fest outdoors: 89 makes new friends.



 

The Vegan Treats booth is always packed.


Even though we'd already gorged, I braved the crowds to give you an idea of the tent's contents.


Cookies, cakes, cannolis, and donuts as far as the eye could see.


While I was there, I accidentally bought this samoa cake. In my defense, it was only because it was one I'd never seen before!


Confession: I ate the cookie while I was on line for lunch.

 

Not to be outdone, The Cinnamon Snail line was even more extensive than usual.


I had the special, which was peking seitan with tamarind plum sauce, 5-spice roasted Brussels sprouts, bean sprouts, arugula, and wasabi mayo on a toasted baguette.


89 eying it up.


It was one of the best Snaily sandwiches I've ever had!


89 was really tired at this point, but not too tired to munch on my arugula.


CS was out of her fave veggie sammie, so VM decided to get a pizza from the Pizza Wagon, the place we'd enjoyed the previous year when the Snail was not in attendance.


I wasn't too impressed this time around.


The wine spritzer from Franklin Hill Vineyards made it easier to bear.


Per usual, a good day was had by all.
Make sure to watch the Bethlehem Vegfest page for more info on the next fest!

11 comments:

  1. Glad you didn't get soaked this time around.
    BTW, do you cover yr face in photos for personal reasons? Or so that you can do reviews without people realizing who you are? I was leafing through a Ruth Reichl memoir recently and it was funny how she talked about how people would send out memos to their staff about what they heard and thought she looked like so they could be on alert.
    It's been forever since I've gone to Cinnamon Snail.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did I just get a personalized staff pick??? I'm not really into gratuitous photos of myself, but it did start purposefully in order to prevent myself from being recognizable. However, NOW, as you well now, a certain numbered dog blows my cover on the regular. On this very day, in fact, I met 2 kind vegans & blog readers who "recognized" me because of the furball.

      Delete
  2. I don't know what I long for more - summer or those treats! :) I won't choose; I'll take both! I would be so overstimulated that I would want only a bite of each thing - to save room for more bites of new tastes! Glad you took some treats home, and yes the Pizza Wagon needs to make friends with vegan cheese ASAP.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh gosh; I'd be a much smaller person if I only had a bite of each. Alas, I lack self-control! That's an excellent suggestion for the Pizza Wagon! I could also bring my own ;-) Of course, she bears the blame because who doesn't get Snail? A crazy person, that's who.

      Delete
  3. Oh wow, those treats are breaking my heart. I've never seen such an array of vegan finery. I'm enchanted by the samoa cake - what was it, and what was so samoan about it?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you familiar with the U.S. Girl Scouts' samoa cookies? They're shortbread with caramel, chocolate, and toasted coconut: truly swoon-worthy (but not vegan). Also, probably not literally Samoan in any way. This was the cake version with a VEGAN samoa atop! I've also had them here: http://a-soy-bean.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-cinnamon-snail-back-on-street-today.html SWOON

      Delete
  4. What the DC Vegfest lacked in Cinnamon Snail, we made up for with humidity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you believe I've never been to DC? Hope to remedy very soon.

      Delete
  5. Looks like an especially exciting vegfest, with better than usual treats. I'm also tickled that you posted something from last August.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That photo of 89 standing next to the Fanciful Fox booth is too much!! And thank you for linking to your thoughts on the pigs that were on display.

    ReplyDelete

Have you got something to say? It would be so nice to hear from you!
(I know captchas suck, but not as much as spam.)