Every year, both the New York and Northern California Sanctuaries host an annual Hoe Down where guests enjoy a weekend of visiting the animals, delicious vegan meals, fun outdoor activities (such as volleyball, yoga, camping, and bonfires), and inspirational guest speakers. As I was working the weekend of the Hoe Down, I was only able to attend the festivities after we had gotten off of work, however, from what I hear, the guest speakers were great and I'm definitely adding their books/movies to my "to read" and "to see" lists.
A few of the main guest speakers were Nick Cooney, a former intern, who wrote the book, "Change of Heart"(about the psychology of advocating for animals), Timothy Pachirat, who wrote the book, "Every 12 Seconds" (a memoir about his time spent working inside of a Factory Farm and learning how the Factories function from the inside), and then Jo-Anne McAurther (photographer), another former intern and author of the book, "We the Animals". There was another presentation about an independent movie documenting what Jo-Anne does when she goes to document the conditions of animals in factory farms. The movie, "The Ghosts in our Machine", looks fantastic and it's looking for donations in order to distribute the movie to a wider audience. Check it out:
According to the movie's director, Liz Marshall, her intention was to create a film of hope and compassion, instead of focusing on the violence of the industry. I'm excited to see this approach as I think it could be an extremely effective one.
Anyway, back to the fun...
Politically-themed fiddle folk music... pretty funny! :)
And, like I said, a good ole' fashioned Hoe Down!
This *would* have been an awesome picture if the lens had been fast enough... it's still pretty fun, though :)
Hazel, another intern, gettin' down...
Breezy (thumbs up), Diana (Blue floral dress), and Celia (behind the striped dress lady).
Around the "People Barn" were various vegan "treats" such as artisan vegan cheese, "Beyond Meat" chicken strips, and brownies... all SO scrumptious!!! Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of my dinner, but my plate was overflowing with kale salad, mac and cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, pasta salad, "chicken" strips, yam fries, veggie salad, and the best corn bread I've ever had. YUM! Apparently there was also ice cream (Chicago Soy Dairy is amazing), cookies, and (like I previously mentioned) brownies for dessert, but I only got to test out the incredibly fudgy brownies. Before arriving here, I felt sure that I would drop pounds because of all of the hard work + a vegan diet, but I'm fairly certain that I've been gaining pounds. :P
The ladies from "Our Hen House", one of the podcasts that I listen to, were there enjoying the festivities! I was too chicken (pun intended) to go up and say hello, but it was awesome spotting them!
Check out their podcast (and their website), which they broadcasted from the Hoe Down:
So, all-in-all, the Hoe Down was a fantastic time! My belly was happy, I felt a bit more enlightened and inspired, and it was great seeing so many people who care about the same issues come to enjoy a night of fun and celebration. It was great.
We topped the night off with a beautiful bonfire under the stars...
Dewey, one of the farm cats (with a crooked ear), approves of this post...
Dewey hard at work on the farm...
Happy Monday everyone!
If you guys ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
P.s. - Don't forget to check out these books if you're at all interested....
3 comments:
i betcha there was lots of banjo and people shouting "Hey" at the same time.
Hooray!! I am so jealous of your mad hoe down skills.
Lot's of "Heys" indeed!
Dani - I was behind the camera so I didn't do much "Hoe Downin'" which is how I like it ;)
Post a Comment