by Danielle Bussone

This Sunday, Oct 11th, Riverfront Park is the place to be in Cocoa Village, Florida,  where Healthy Planet of Brevard will be celebrating its first ever vegfest from 11am to 5pm.

Healthy Planet of Brevard is a vegan/vegetarian organization that has been operating for 20 years. Founded by Susie and Eric Sricker, Healthy Planet is a local organization that promotes plant-based living through education and entertainment.

Kim Smith, owner of a new raw vegan restaurant in Merritt Island, A-Live & Healthy Café, is the current president of Healthy Planet. We bring in speakers, we do monthly pot-luck dinners, we dine out once a month and we teach cooking classes. Kim and her husband, Rich, love veg-fests and they travel to Orlando, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and other places in Florida to attend them whenever possible.

Healthy Planet of Brevard, seeks to attract younger members by putting on an event that is big and bold. Even though they’ve been around for 20 years, Kim says that she often discovers that many people don’t know they exist. Vegfests are a great opportunity to see what a plant-based lifestyle is all about. It’s a chance to meet with like-minded people, spend time out of doors, eat good food, listen to dynamic presentations, listen to great music, enjoy cooking demonstrations from talented chefs and cookbook authors, and discover the products and organizations the various vendors  will be bringing to the festival. There are lots of fun-filled activities for the kids and the whole family.

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There will be live musical entertainment, an assortment of food vendors, and an electric vehicle club will show off their new Teslas. There will be solar organizations, an organization that builds robotics to clean up the Indian River Lagoon, jewelry makers, and much more.

For the kids, Samantha and Shelley from Sunseed Co-op will be offering crafts and entertainment all day. Florida State College Cosmetology Department will be providing remarkable face-painting.

For a complete list of entertainment and activities visit  Space Coast VegFEst 2015’s website or, better yet, come on down to the festival at Cocoa Village this Sunda, Oct 11,  at Riverfront Park from 11am to 5pm and join in the fun!

Co-founder and editor of Veggin’ Out and About, Danielle writes restaurant reviews, profiles and interviews of people making a difference in the plant-based community. She is author of, “Time For Change: Whole Foods For Whole Health,” released January 1, 2015.

Danielle’s region is SW Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina and anywhere she happens to stop for sustenance along the road. Contact Danielle directly to share your restaurant finds, to make comments or just to say hello.