VegWinterFest, a program of VegRehoboth celebrating a plant-based lifestyle, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday, March 3, at the Lewes library. The event is free to all, except for lunch, which can be ordered separately on the website Vegrehoboth.org. Speakers, vendors, local artisans and plant-based food will fill the day. Children are welcome.

“VegWinterFest was born in response to requests for an event during the off-season. It is a smaller version of our wonderful, three-day summertime Rehoboth Beach VegFest,” said Tara Sheldon, co-founder of VegRehoboth. “We are delighted to offer this mini-version at the Lewes library. We’ll have food, speakers, vendors and activities to warm our winter hearts.”

Hari Cameron, long a friend and advocate of the plant-based community, will give a talk on plant-based cooking. Cameron co-owns Grandpa Mac restaurant and is culinary director of the Chef’s Table at Touch of Italy. He will be serving a delicious, plant-based lunch that includes tomato pie with parmesan, classic Caesar salad, seasonal spring vegetable salad with heirloom grains, and vichyssoise soup with cashew crema. Preorders are strongly encouraged at Vegrehoboth.org. 

Speakers include local author and speaker Dorothy Greet, who will talk about Going Veg with Kids, and Krista Griffin from Blue Zones Delaware. “We are excited to share the nine principles discovered by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, linked to people living extraordinarily long and/or happy lives,“ said Griffin, who is working along with partners Kim Blanch and Rita Williams to bring the principles of the Blue Zones Project to Sussex County.

Other speakers include wellness coach Rich Ferrandino talking about his new coaching and consulting endeavor, Revive the Future. He’ll discuss easy steps to take when moving toward a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. Steuart Martens, a national board-certified health-wellness coach, will offer an informative talk about food labels, showing the many unhealthy ingredients hidden in some foods.

Yoga exercises and postures will be offered in the morning and before the afternoon sessions by Sue McCarthy, a well-known instructor in Lewes who specializes in programs for those ages 50 and above. 

Attendees can shop for jewelry, skin care, pottery, food, wellness tips, services and knowledge with the vendors throughout the day. VegRehoboth is an education, advocacy and support nonprofit organization that promotes a plant-based lifestyle for health, for the environment and for the animals. VegWinterFest is sponsored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit organization that advocates for ethical research, an end to animal cruelty, and plant-based nutrition.

To register, go to Vegrehoboth.org. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned food donations for local shelter pantries.