ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The appeal of fresh vegetables, vegan food and more was enough to persuade people to come out in the rain Saturday to celebrate healthy living at Allentown’s first annual VegFest.
The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Allentown office was the host for the event at Cedar Beach Park in West Allentown.
- Allentown's first-ever VegFest was held on Saturday at Cedar Beach Park
- The event featured 35 local vendors selling vegetarian and vegan products as well as free workout classes and a live recipe demo
- The chamber’s Senior Vice President of Allentown Initiatives Liz Martin said she hopes the event will become an annual tradition
It featured 35 local vendors, free workout classes led by BoomFit Strength Club owner John Baxter, live music by Mystik Fool and a live recipe demo by Butterhead Kitchen.
About a thousand people attended throughout the day, according to chamber Senior Vice President of Allentown Initiatives Liz Martin.
“This will be the first of many, I hope."Liz Martin, Senior Vice President of Allentown Initiatives at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
VegFests are festivals that focus on vegetarian and vegan food and promote general health and wellness. Many cities across the country, including Easton, hold VegFests.
Martin said she was glad the chamber could bring a new festival focused on health and wellness to Allentown.
“This will be the first of many, I hope,” Martin said.
Local vendors
Many local vendors sold vegetarian and vegan food, drinks, desserts and more at the event.
Bethlehem resident Danielle Stokes was among the vendors. She owns the cosmetics store Noraa Body Love, which sells soaps, scrubs and other beauty products online and in a few stores in the Lehigh Valley. She said “Noraa” is her late father’s name spelled backward.
All of Stokes’ products are vegan, so VegFest was a “perfect fit,” she said.
“I didn’t see the point in using animal products when I could make beautiful soaps without them,” Stokes said.
Lower Macungie Mexican restaurant Uno Taqueria had a food truck at the event. Juan Montoya, who with his brother co-owns the restaurant, said he’s glad there’s now a VegFest in Allentown.
“I think it’s a good thing for the area since the community of vegetarians and vegans is growing a lot,” Montoya said.
‘People of like minds’
Whitehall Township resident Anne Bivans brought her meetup group, Lehigh Valley Health and Wellness, to the festival. She has run the group for about a year, inviting people from across the valley to attend events that promote healthy living.
Bivans said she enjoyed the event because it highlighted how healthy food is also delicious, and there were a variety of activities.
“There’s something for everyone,” Bivans said.
Former Breinigsville resident Carol Derr-Breinig said she’s been a vegetarian for 40 years and is currently a vegan. She said she became a vegan when she read the book “Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals” by Australian philosopher Peter Singer.
Derr-Breinig said she enjoys events such as VegFest because she likes being around other vegetarians and vegans.
“They’re people of like minds,” Derr-Breinig said.
