A Celebration of the Veggie Life

[Guest guest]

Courtesy of http://www.veggieprideparade.org/

 

Veggie Pride Parade, New York City

 

The First Veggie Pride Parade in America, New York City, Sunday, May

18, 2008

 

The First Veggie Pride Parade in America took place in Greenwich

Village, New York City, on May 18, 2008.

 

Line-up began at 11 a.m. The procession then left the area of the Old

Meat District (where 9th Ave., Gansevoort St., Greenwich St., and

Little West 12th St. intersect) at 12:15 p.m. The parade culminated in

Washington Square Park (Eastern end), where a festival of rock music,

speakers and exhibitors took place.

 

Up-and-coming vegan rock star Cheryl Hill roused the crowd with hits

from her latest EP, Let Love In. Some may remember Cheryl as the wise

woman of Vegan Wellness, Public Access TV, Manhattan Cable.

 

There were some serious problems with the sound system.

 

Many parade participants wore costumes and sign boards announcing

their pride in their vegetarian lifestyle. Local restaurants and

veggie and veg-friendly groups represented themselves with banners.

Following is a video of the parade. Click on arrow below the " screen, "

rather than the one in the center of the " screen, " in order to remain

in this Web page. Thank you, Santos Lopez, for producing and uploading

this video for public viewing.

 

Marchers came from all streams of thought in the vegetarian movement:

There were animal-rights activists, environmentalists, and people just

concerned with their health. But on May 18, 2008, they all came

together with one voice, one expression, of veggie pride.

 

At about 2 p.m. on stage, at the post-parade rally in Washington

Square Park, the winners of a costume and poster-slogan contest were

named.

 

PeTA's Chris P. Carrot and VivaVegie Society's Penelo Pea Pod lead

Sunday's Veggie Pride Parade in New York City. (Photo by New York

Daily News photographer Amalia Mayita Mendez.)

 

Later in the afternoon, also on stage, a 7-foot-tall human pea pod,

Penelo Pea Pod (long-time mascot of parade sponsor VivaVegie Society)

was married to PeTA's Chris P. Carrot in an open wedding ceremony.

 

The U.S.-based parade was inspired by (but is not affiliated with) the

Veggie Pride Parade in Paris. The Parisian parade was the first of its

kind ever to take place in the world and has been taking place

annually since 2001.