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Bluegrass VegFest
In the deep-red state of Kentucky, The Bluegrass VegFest is an annual oasis held in Louisville, the state’s largest city.
“Bluegrass VegFest is a free public education event. Our mission is to provide educational outreach about the benefits of veganism as a way to protect animals and the environment, and improve health.”
The home of Muhammad Ali, bourbon, and the Louisville Slugger baseball bat company, as well as the Kentucky Derby and Yum! Brands (KFC), Louisville is a culturally diverse city that feels much like an island of refuge in a sea of not-quite-yet-21st Century existence. This is the state, after all, that has elected (and continuously re-elected) Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul as their U.S. Senators. ‘Nuff said.
While geographically Louisville is much closer to Canada than the Gulf of Mexico, you get the feeling you are in the deep South while approaching, with no shortage Confederate flags, pick-up trucks, and signage of a certain twice-impeached, four-time-indicted ex-POTUS in the large rural stretches of this mostly rural state, whose entire population is roughly equal to Los Angeles.