The fifth annual Texas Veggie Fair will be held in Reverchon Park in Dallas on Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Photo by Phillip Shinoda. Front page photo: Vegan corn dogs. Courtesy of TVF.

Oct. 14, 2014

Eat your veggies!

That is the message of the fifth annual Texas Veggie Fair to be held Oct.19 at Reverchon Park in Dallas. There will be a plethora of tasty vegan and vegetarian fare to make event-goers believers.

Event producer Stephanie Casey, a Dallas native who eats a mostly plant-based diet, said organizers don’t expect to turn meat-eaters into vegetarians in one afternoon, but the fest will give them a chance to see what they’re missing.

Right, Expect a long line at the popular all- vegan Reverie Bakeshop again this year. Photo by Karl Thibodeaux. Below, vegan sweets. Courtesy of TVF.

“I’m happy if someone walks away from Texas Veggie Fair deciding to even cut out just a little bit of animal product from their life or to be slightly more eco-conscious – that is great! Every little bit counts for animals, human health and ecological sustainability.” 

The all vegetarian food festival founded by DallasVegan.com blogger James Scott will feature plant-based versions of traditional fair food – from cupcakes to corndogs. In addition, there will be animal advocates, chef demos, live music, yoga and speakers. 

Its mission is to grow the veg community locally as well as display alternatives to traditional meat-eaters in a fun and friendly setting.

It was about 10 years ago that founder Scott says he became a vegetarian for health purposes. 

“That led me to research some of the other reasons why people become vegetarian or vegan. Once I started learning about practices of the food industry, which involve a general inhumanness toward animals and environmentally irresponsible procedures, I became vegan,” he says. “So avoiding contribution to that industry — the factory farming — became my motivation.”

That led to his popular blog and from there the Texas Veggie Fair was born.

Above, animal advocates will be selling their wares at the fair. Photo by Karl Thibodeaux. Below, Robin Quivers said she lost 60 pounds after adopting a vegan diet. Press photo.

New this year, the entire event will be fenced, and there will be $5 parking at the AAC AudiPark Garage. And for the first time on Saturday, there will be a pre-fair event at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary featuring radio host Robin Quivers, who has written about her vegan lifestyle in her book, The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life.

Last year, the fair drew 7,000 attendees, but Casey says she is expecting an even bigger crowd. Fair producers have already hit the vendor capacity of 120. 

“Yes, we are here for vegans and those who are leaning toward that lifestyle,” Scott said. “We really want to get the non-vegetarians out here and let them see that this food can be fun too.”

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