Come celebrate compassionate living and visit Friends of Animals’ table at the 13th annual “Shindig—A Festival of Vegan Living”—Oct. 11 at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary (CAS) in Saugerties, N.Y.
From 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Tim VanOrden will discuss compassionate competition. VanOrden is shattering the myths and misconceptions that surround a plant-based diet. He has transformed himself from a sedentary, couch potato suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome into one of the world’s fittest men over 40. He is a four-time U.S. Masters Runner of the Year, a nine-time U.S. Trail Running Champion, fourth place (top US) finisher at the 2011 stair climbing world championships up the Empire State Building, eighth place finisher at the 2013 World Masters Mountain Running Championships and he came in 12th at the 2012 World Snowshoe Championship—proving that an athlete eating a plant based diet can excel in some of the world’s most grueling sports.
Then at 1:30 p.m. scientist Jonathan Balcombe and Kathy Stevens, founder and director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, will talk about the inner lives of farm animals. Stevens will share life-altering, perception-shattering moments with CAS residents, and Balcombe will support Kathy’s experience with scientific “proof” that in the ways that matter—human and non-human animals really are all the same.
The day’s activities, which begin at 11 a.m., will also include bands, cooking demos and a silent auction. Throughout the day there will also be education stations with rescued animals throughout the sanctuary. Ticket prices for members are $8 in advance, $10 at the door; non-members are $12 in advance, $15 at the door; and children ages 6-12: $5, 5 and under free. To purchase tickets, visit this page.
Located in the New York’s Hudson Valley, CAS is a 110-acre haven for horses and farm animals rescued from cruelty and neglect. In addition to emergency rescue, CAS provides innovative programs that educate the public about the sentience of farm animals, and the devastating impacts of agribusiness and institutionalized cruelty on animals, people, and the planet. CAS offers weekend and special group tours, vegan cooking classes, speaking engagements, a summer day camp for kids, and a host of compassionate programming year round at its primarily solar-powered sanctuary. Lodging is available on site at The Homestead, a renovated 1813 farmhouse. Since 2001, CAS has rescued more than 3,500 animals, and has worked in tandem with law enforcement to bring animal abusers to justice.