Rehoboth Beach VegFest 2018, a program of VegRehoboth, announced the lineup of speakers for the day-long festival set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, June 9, at Epworth United Methodist Church.

The speakers are well-known in the area for their music, their treatment modality, their cooking, their passionate commitment to plant-based living and their zealous work on behalf of animals.

Andrea (AJ) Jones, Dr. Krista Griffin, Hari Cameron, Dorothy Greet and Laurie Elseroad will give their unique perspectives on healing a damaged world by beginning with compassion for self and animals.

AJ Jones is a single working mother of a 10-year-old son, and a sax player for local group Red Letter Day. She been fighting the cancer fight for 15 years. She will explain how she is negotiating her stage 4 cancer with food, positivity, sleep, clean water and movement. Instead of looking at life as ending in two to three years, Andrea believes this diagnosis is an opportunity to understand how to live a new type of normal and feels she does not have an expiration date on her life that anyone can predict.

She brings messages of optimism, creativity, and strength to the cancer community and the health community at large.

Dr. Krista Griffin, chiropractor and owner of Lotus Chiropractic, focuses on the mind-body connection and works closely with her clients to improve their physical and spiritual health. She came to awareness of this deep connection between mind and body when she realized that her child did not have the tools he needed to calm himself in stressful situations. Her work and study has included principles of quantum physics and the body's inherent ability to heal itself. She is delighted to be presenting with Jones about how the intersection of mind-body connection and a plant-based lifestyle has turned AJ's life around.

Dorothy Greet is a passionate advocate for plant-based diets. Her personal transformation occurred at age 70, when she had a life-threatening heart attack. Switching to a plant-based diet reversed all her heart disease. Since then, she has been writing, speaking, and blogging on the incredible health benefits of a whole foods plant-based diet and the damaging impact of the Western diet. She holds a Cornell certificate in plant-based nutrition. Greet said, "As an advocate for plant-based eating, I am dedicated to sharing what I have learned about the impact of food choice on personal, animal and environmental health."

Hari Cameron is practically a household word in Rehoboth culinary circles and beyond. He was part of Nage in its early years, achieved his goal of owning his own restaurant by opening a(MUSE.) several years ago, and doubled his success by opening grandpa (MAC), in two locations no less. Long a good friend to the plant-based community, Cameron has cooked for every single ThanksLiving celebration by VegRehoboth. He loves the paradoxically simple, yet complex art of cooking and is constantly learning and experimenting with flavors and textures. Cameron owns over 1,500 cookbooks.

Laurie Elseroad is a first-time speaker at VegFest. She has been a passional advocate for animals since the age of 12, becoming vegetarian at that time and transitioning into veganism. For many years, she volunteered at the Humane League, leafletting and tabling. Currently, she is the national volunteer coordinator for the Humane League, and helps others use their passion to get involved in effective advocacy. The Humane League works to reduce the suffering of as many animals as possible by reforming laws governing how farmed animals are treated and also inspiring people to make more compassionate food choices. The Humane League has offices and grassroots centers around the world.

Rehoboth Beach VegFest is a program of VegRehoboth, which offers many ways for those interested in a plant-based diet to begin the process of education and change.

In its sixth year, Rehoboth Beach VegFest is a weekend of activities. It will begin with a Friday night film, "What the Health," accompanied by appetizers from Casey Gould Cutler of Mind Body Spoon, at Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware. The festival is Saturday, and that night, an art exhibit featuring Leah Beach opens at Gallery 50.

The weekend concludes Sunday with the traditional vegan brunch at Fork & Flask at Nage featuring chefs Hari Cameron and Sean Corea.

It's a vibrant weekend that celebrates compassion and mindful eating.

The daylong festival Saturday, June 9, is a pastiche of energizing and educational activities. From speakers to cooking demo to animal rights activists to animals available for adoption to incredible plant-based food, Rehoboth Beach VegFest offers a wonderful experience for the curious and the dedicated.

The Music Tent will feature artists Alex Razze, Kaleb Brown, Buntopia and Evangelina Guarjado. The YMCA is sponsoring the Kids Tent with activities all day. The Healing Arts Village will include practitioners from Quakertown Wellness, Just Be Holistic Wellness and Free Spirited Foundation.

VegFest sponsors and supporters include CAMP Rehoboth, grandpa (MAC), a(MUSE.), Fork and Flask at Nage, Indigo, Signarama, Cultured Pearl, Gallery 50, Veg Fund, The Humane League, UUSD, Client Monster, Rehoboth Beach Famer's Market, Mind Over Matters, Jolly Trolley, Grand Rental and the YMCA.

For more information or to purchase tickets for appetizers and film at UUSD, go to www.vegrehoboth.org and www.govegfest.com.