Fresh Sheet: Spokane Vegfest 2016 is Saturday
Spokane Vegfest 2016 is Saturday.
The third annual healthy living expo and music festival is free and open to the public.
More than 100 animal- and eco-friendly vendors are expected – along with chefs, speakers and musicians. Look for a beer garden, food trucks, outdoor market, massages and more.
One of the special guest speakers is Gene Baur, president and co-founder of the nonprofit Farm Sanctuary, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The author of the best-selling book “Living the Farm Sanctuary Life,” he’s been hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by TIME magazine. Look inside the Food section for a story about him.
The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Spokane Community College, 1810 N. Greene St.
On theweb: inveg.org. Email: info@inveg.org.
Three stars
Blackbird has been named a three-star certified green restaurant
Opened last summer, Blackbird specializes in smokey, Southern- inspired fare. It was recently recognized by the Green Restaurant Association, a nonprofit aimed at helping eateries become more environmentally sustainable.
Blackbird scored highest in the energy category. Other categories include disposables, furnishing and building, food, chemical and pollution, waste and water.
Blackbird and Manito Tap House, opened in 2011 and also hailed by GRA for its environmentally friendly building and practices, are owned by Patrick McPherson. (The tap house has four stars, GRA’s highest rating.)
Blackbird features reclaimed and upcycled furnishings – from a table that once graced a clubhouse of the Hell’s Angels to a light fixture fashioned from a vintage bomb and new red plastic chairs made from recycled Coca-Cola bottles.
The countertop was made from the floor of an old railcar – as was the standing-room-only buddy bar, also in the bar area, separated from the dining room by panels from the old dairy. Most light fixtures were also salvaged from the old dairy – as were milk crates, installed in a kitchen wall to offer a glimpse at cooks while shelving charcuterie and bread.
For more information, including a breakdown of Blackbird’s points, visit dinegreen.com.
Don’t forget to vote
Fans have through Sept. 21 to cast their vote for their favorite farmers market.
American Farmland Trust, a nonprofit aimed at saving farmland for the next generation, will be awarding prizes to top vote-getters. The People’s Choice Award goes to the market with the overall most votes. The top three recommended farmers markets in each state will also be recognized.
The awards are part of the Farmers Market Celebration, in its seventh year. The celebration aims to raise awareness of the loss of America’s farmland and its impacts.
For more information or to cast a vote, visit markets.farmland.org.