What do you remember of your high school prom? Whether it’s something you’d like to relive, or something you’d like to re-do, your chance is coming up, if you live in or near LA. On June 28, 2014 the Veggie Prom is coming to Los Angeles! It’s an event that has happened in other cities, but never before in LA. Vegan Mainstream recently chatted with organizers Steven Todd Smith and Jessica Schoech to find out more:
Vegan Mainstream: For people who have never been to a Veggie Prom, can you tell us what it is and why it’s such a great event?
Steven Todd Smith: Veggie Prom (West, in this case) is a prom-themed dance party, revolving around having lots of fun, bringing the community together, and raising awareness and money for animal advocacy organizations. NYC took the lead with organizing the first Veggie Prom back in 2010 (courtesy of creator Jessica Mahady). The event allowed attendees to create a brand new Prom experience for themselves; some had not been to a high school prom, some had experiences they wish they had forgotten, and those who loved their prom got a chance to do another version of it – this time with more life experience, a lot of compassionate friends, and a legal drinking age! Veggie Prom is such a great event because it brings so many people together to celebrate, connect, and party all for an amazing cause. Constant activity, tons of opportunities to mix & mingle, and the perfect reason to get all dressed up. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Vegan Mainstream: Why did you decide on LA for the location?
Steven: I live in Hollywood and Jessica lives in Valencia, so we’re part of the SoCal vegan events scene. Having the pleasure of attending the very first Veggie Prom in NYC and then organizing my first large event this past September, I thought that event #2 would be a perfect opportunity to bring the fun, dancing, and community feel from NYC’s Veggie Prom right to the west coast. With NYC going on their 5th prom and other cities like Denver and Vancouver diving into the mix, Jessica – who had been waiting for an event like this – and I decided to make it happen here in LA. We just knew that other people had to experience what the NYC Veg community has been experiencing for 5 years.
Vegan Mainstream: Is this an event only for vegans and vegetarians?
Jessica Schoech: This event is for anyone who is veg-friendly. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, v-curious, or just omnivorously open to having fun, all are welcome! Everyone falls under one of three categories: those who missed their prom, those who loved their prom, and those who hated their prom. Veggie Prom West is the perfect opportunity to relive a time in their lives with compassionate people for a compassionate cause. There will even be a prom king and queen! Everyone can relate to that.
Vegan Mainstream: Tell us more about that!
Jessica: What is a prom without a prom king and queen? We thought it would be fun to have people nominate their friends who have made contributions to the veg community at large. The top nominees will be announced at prom and the winner will be determined via live ballot voting at prom. There are sashes and crowns to be won! Anyone can nominate their favorite king or queen hopeful here: http://www.veggiepromwest.com/#!nominations/c22wy
Vegan Mainstream: What about the food that will be served – whet our appetites!
Steven: Since dancing is the main course, we thought it would be best to bring the hors d’oeuvres for our prom-goers’ tasting pleasure. But we didn’t skimp. We want to represent the wide variety of vegan eats for our attendees. Fresh Brothers Pizza and Gardein are two of our main food sponsors, bringing vegan pizza samples and chick’n sliders to the party. We’ll also be featuring a heavy dose of mac ‘n cheese from both Bikini Bites by BMK and Chef Ayinde Howell, both with their own unique flair. Don’t worry – there will be sweets, drinks (including classic prom punch, both spiked and non-alcoholic), and snacks too. But we don’t want to give everything away just yet … those who come will definitely feast!
Vegan Mainstream: The proceeds of this event go to Gentle Barn – can you tell us about this organization and why you chose it as beneficiary for the Veggie Prom?
Jessica: The Gentle Barn is such a lovely organization started by Ellie Laks in 1999 in Santa Clarita, CA. The property is complete with large horse and cow pastures, a red and white barnyard for the smaller animals, an organic vegetable garden, lots of shade trees, and a panoramic view of gorgeous mountains. They have more than 170 rescued animals who are safe and happy there. The Gentle Barn also hosts at-risk children who find that they have more in common with these beautiful animals than meets the eye. Through this kind of outreach, these children connect with the Gentle Barn animals, the earth, and their peers in a conscious and empathetic way. We really feel that The Gentle Barn’s incredible work is indicative of true compassion on all levels. What they do for animals, the at-risk children who visit them weekly, and the patrons who come meet the animals on Sundays is invaluable to the vegan community. They plant seeds and we felt that they were a wonderful place for which to raise funds.
Vegan Mainstream: Anything else you’d like people to know?
Steven: We could talk about Veggie Prom West forever, but we’d rather everyone came to experience it in person! That’s where the true fun is at! I will say everyone who does attend can look forward to an incredible raffle, with prizes from restaurant gift certificates, to yoga memberships, to compassionate apparel, to vegan gift baskets galore. And there’s more, of course. You can get early tickets for just $30 through June 21st and and for $40 from June 22nd to the 27th. Tickets close out the night of the 27th, so don’t get caught without a ticket on the day of the event. Get yours ASAP at www.veggiepromwest.com.
Don’t miss this chance to re-live prom night (vegan style!). Visit Veggie Prom here for more info:
www.veggiepromwest.com (Website)
https://www.facebook.com/events/771304119567578/ (FB Event Page)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/veggie-prom-west-tickets-11443306237 (Tickets)