My son Arjan and I attended VeggieFest in Chicago/Naperville, for the eighth consecutive year. It continues to grow. This year the attendance was somewhere between 25,000 to 30,000. Nature’s Path, Whole Foods and hundreds of other vendors had a great opportunity to showcase their products and services, including tons of free samples of plant-friendly foods. It was a very happy event. Great live music bands kept the crowds rockin’. The vast array of vegan and vegetarian (lacto) prepared foods and fresh juices was wonderful. The many seminars were very insightful and inspiring. Arjan gave an enthusiastic talk in the big tent on organic gardening and the environment. After his, I gave a talk in the chapel about the organic & anti-GMO movement. Both were very well received! But the highlight of the event was the free discourses on the emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual benefits of the compassionate vegetarian diet given by Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj in the big tent. Each of these talks seemed to uplift the masses into a higher realm. Not only was every seat taken, but the crowd spilled out onto the grass and under the trees. www.veggiefestchicago.com