Rehoboth VegFest emcee and speaker lineup announced for June 13-15 event

Organizers of Rehoboth Beach VegFest 2014 are thrilled to announce that supercharged John Schlimm will head up the  list of celebrities and experts taking part in this year's VegFest festivities June 13-15.

An international award-winning author, activist, and visual artist, Schlimm will serve as master of ceremonies at the free Festival at Epworth United Methodist Church Saturday, June 14. Schlimm is noted for his vibrant positive energy and is described by Philly.com as high-voltage.

Schlimm will also exhibit three pieces from The Book of Compassion series at Rehoboth Beach VegFest, including 34 Compassion Paintings and two crowdsourced pieces on-site at VegFest: Planting Compassion and The Smile That Changed the World (is yours). The Book of Compassion pieces include paintings; pencil, marker, and pen renderings; photography; video; sculpture; installations; writing; performance art; crowdsourced art; and more.

This year, Rehoboth VegFest has expanded into a three-day, area-wide celebration. Following the free Festival At Epworth, Schlimm will also be a special guest at the After Fest Happy Hour at Cilantro Cocina de Mexico on Saturday evening, June 14.

Other guest speakers for the VegFest Festival at Epworth include plant-based nutrition experts and leaders in the animal protection community. Susan Levin, MS, RD, CSSD, and director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, will speak on plant-based eating and disease prevention.

Rehoboth VegFest will also feature a Plant Based Nutrition Tent, where festival goers can access Ask a Vegan Nutritionist. The tent is hosted by local plant-based nutrition expert and blogger Dorothy Greet, speaking with other local experts Michele Williams and Dr. Lori Irelan.

Returning this year is Paul Shapiro, the vice president of farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States and founder of Compassion Over Killing. He is widely recognized as an expert in farm animal advocacy.

Festival at Epworth also features Heidi Helou, a local health and fitness expert and owner/trainer at Flex World Fitness of Georgetown, who will give a demonstration on making smoothies for health.

Executive Chef Gretchen Hanson of Hobos Restaurant and Bar will present a vegan cooking demonstration, and Dr. Ruby Lathon will present a cooking demonstration on holistic health and wellness. Lathon served as nutrition policy manager and lobbyist at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, where she led an initiative to improve child nutrition and prevent chronic disease through emphasis on plant-based options in the National School Lunch Program.

"People are discovering for themselves they feel better choosing plant-based foods," said Ruth Lamothe, VegFest Organizing Committee chair. "At VegFest, they can hear nutrition experts discuss it firsthand, and get cooking tips and food samples too - how lovely!"

Also appearing at the festival is Rachel Atcheson, Philadelphia director for the Humane League, who will speak on "The Hows and Whys of Vegetarian Eating."

Other Rehoboth VegFest 2014 special guest speakers include acclaimed film producer Liz Marshall and photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur.

Marshall, a Toronto-born/based filmmaker, is director, producer, and writer of the much-heralded documentary "The Ghosts in Our Machine," a film that illuminates the lives of individual animals living within the modern world. McArthur is an award-winning photojournalist and creator of the internationally celebrated documentary project, "We Animals."

Marshall and McArthur, in town for the Delaware premiere of the documentary film "The Ghosts in Our Machine," will lead a Q&A session after the film screening at 8 p.m. Friday night at the Atlantic Sands Hotel. Marshall and McArthur will also be speaking at the Festival at Epworth to discuss their powerful work.

New at VegFest this year is poet Gretchen Primack, a writer, editor, teacher, and passionate animal advocate.

Rehoboth Beach VegFest is presented by VegRehoboth. Organizers extend special thanks to event sponsors CAMP Rehoboth, Hobos Restaurant, and VegFund. Details and the full list of sponsors are at www.RehobothVegFest.org.