Pittsburgh Vegan Expo hosts summer festival in Bethel Park
By reputation, Pittsburgh seems to be a meat-and-potatoes kind of town.
These days, though, plenty of people are sticking with the potatoes and forgoing the meat. And milk and cheese, for that matter.
Amy Cottrill, who originated the Pittsburgh Vegan Festival back before very many folks knew what “vegan” meant, continues to organize events that not only offer delicious foods and beverages, but promote animal-free and environmentally friendly practices.
In Bethel Park, her South Hills Summer Festival by Pittsburgh Vegan Expo took place July 13 in the expansive — and thankfully, air-conditioned, considering the day’s heat — turf field inside the Allegheny Health Network Sports Complex at Cool Springs.
Vendors from as far away as Virginia Beach visited to sell products, and Cottrill arranged for activities such as contests, CPR training and belly dancing. As for the latter, she’s a practitioner and instructor with the professional name “Amethyst.”
Among the folks stationed at tables was Bethel Park resident Tracy Gorman, who started her Hinge Pinge Designs business four months ago. She offers miniature painted figures containing extra-strength neodymium magnets to hold them in place atop door hinges.
“I don’t like a whole lot of clutter. I like things to be streamlined. It makes me feel better. But I do like things that are neat. I like things that have a little bit of whimsy,” she said. “So this is an awesome way to bring whimsy to a situation, but not clutter.”
For Hinge Pinge, she shifted away from professional photography to pursue another art form.
“I’m a very creative person, and I actually had a little bout with depression, which was new to me. I was looking to help cheer myself up, and as I started making these, my friends said, ‘Oh, I like that! Make me one,’” she explained.
And she definitely enjoys cheering up others.
“When your brain sees something that it loves, you get that hit of dopamine,” she said. “And I love being able to share that with people.”
For more information about area vegan events, visit pittsburghvegan.com.
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