2nd ANNUAL TAMPA BAY VEG FEST Back
2nd ANNUAL TAMPA BAY VEG FEST SET FOR OCTOBER 15
WILL STAR COMEDIAN CAROL LEIFER AS FEATURED SPEAKER
Free day-long event will offer vegetarian and vegan food from local restaurants, live music,
popular guest speakers, eco-friendly exhibits, fun and games for kids, and animal adoptions.
Veg Fest — featuring Whole Foods Market as title sponsor —
will be held in downtown Tampa’s Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park.
The Tampa Bay area’s only vegetarian/vegan festival, Tampa Bay Veg Fest, makes its return Saturday, October 15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – and with a bang. The event will star Carol Leifer — the LA-based comedian and former writer for Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld who has frequently appeared on Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show, Real Time with Bill Maher and The Oprah Winfrey Show — speaking about following a vegan lifestyle.
The event also features a new location — Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, in a beautiful setting on the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa. The park is conveniently located across the street and to the south of the St. Pete Times Forum. Parking is available in the adjacent South Regional Parking Garage, located at 301 Channelside Drive.About 3,000 people attended last year’s inaugural event, and this October’s festival promises to be bigger and better. The new location will include air-conditioned indoor meeting rooms for guest speakers, films and kids’ activities, along with improved outdoor facilities for vendors, performers and attendees.
The event -- presented by Tampa Bay-based Florida Voices for Animals, with Whole Foods Market serving as title sponsor – will appeal to all who enjoy tasty, healthy foods, whether or not they follow a vegetarian or vegan diet. The food booths drew rave reviews last year, and local vendors are expected to again impress attendees.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: The 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest will feature local restaurants with vegetarian and vegan food; live music; fun and games for kids; healthy-living and eco-friendly exhibitors; info on local nonprofits; animal adoptions; and well-known national and local guest speakers, including comedian Carol Leifer.
WHEN: Saturday, Oct.15, 2011, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ADMISSION: Free. Companion animals on leashes welcome.
WHERE: Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, 601 Old Water Street, downtown Tampa. The park is situated on south side of Old Water Street, across street from St. Pete Times Forum, on Hillsborough River. The site is approximately two blocks from Selmon Crosstown Expressway (Exit 6A-B eastbound to Channelside Drive or Exit 7 westbound to E. Brorein Street), and convenient to I-275, I-4 and State Road 60 (Kennedy Blvd.)
PARKING: Parking is available at several nearby parking garages, lots and metered street spaces. The closest garage is South Regional Parking Garage (301 Channelside Drive), across street from park and just west of Forum.
For info, visit Tampa Bay Veg Fest online at www.TampaBayVegFest.org, or contact Mike Flanagan at 727-452-4538 or by email at mtflanagan_2000@yahoo.com.
BIO ON CAROL LEIFER
Carol Leifer, the featured speaker for the 2nd Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest, is a renowned animal advocate, comedian, television star, scriptwriter, producer and author whose portfolio includes writing for two of America’s most popular shows, Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live. She’s also a true pioneer, having been among the first female comedians to gain acclaim on the stand-up circuit.
Dedicated to following a vegan diet, Carol will be attending Tampa Bay Veg Fest to share her hilarious, irreverent observations on life as well as her wisdom about an issue she takes very seriously: the welfare of animals. She is an ardent advocate for animal rescue and adoption, and has appeared as a special guest at events for the North Shore Animal League, Farm Sanctuary, Compassion Over Killing and other animal welfare organizations.
Putting on her author hat, Carol will sign copies of her best-selling book, When You Lie About Your Age, the Terrorists Win, at Tampa Bay Veg Fest and has graciously offered to donate all profits from copies sold at the event to Florida Voices for Animals, the local nonprofit organizer of Veg Fest.
Carol first became a household name as a stand-up comedian. She has written and starred in a number of hit stand-up comedy specials for cable television, including Carol Doesn't Leifer Anymore, Carol Leifer Comedy Cruise, Really Big Shoo and Gaudy, Bawdy and Blue, for which she was recognized with a Cable Ace Award nomination. She was also the host of Caroline's Comedy Hour.
Her television appearances include such high-profile programs as Late Night with David Letterman (with visits numbering in the dozens) as well as Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Real Time with Bill Maher.
Carol earned acclaim as a writer and producer for the celebrated sitcom Seinfeld, garnering Emmy Award and Writers Guild nominations for her work on the show. She is rumored to have been the inspiration for Seinfeld character Elaine Benes, portrayed onscreen by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Other shows she has written for include Saturday Night Live, The Larry Sanders Show and the current ABC hit, Modern Family. She has also provided special material for several Academy Awards broadcasts.
