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Farm Sanctuary's Country Hoe Down Coming to Orland, California Shelter

Annual Celebration Will Feature Best-Selling Authors, Live Music, Barn Dancing, Farm Tours, and More!

ORLAND, CA – May 11, 2009 – Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, is getting set to throw their yearly rustic soiree to celebrate and educate people about the friendly farm animals living at their bicoastal shelters. The non-profit’s annual California Country Hoe Down at its Shelter in Orland on Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17, 2009 promises to be a whimsical two-day event filled with fun, learning and inspirational lectures by fascinating guest presenters. This year’s speaker lineup includes an eclectic mix of best-selling authors, acclaimed animal activists and a charitable marathon bicyclist:

- Best-Selling Author and noted psychiatrist Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson has published numerous popular and critically-acclaimed books about animals. His latest volume, The Face On Your Plate: The Truth About Food, was released by W.W. Norton in March 2009.

- Vegan entrepreneur and publisher Josh Hooten has already raised more than $11,500 for Farm Sanctuary by biking from his home in Portland, Oregon to his final destination – the Orland shelter. Hooten plans to complete his 600-mile trek by arriving at Farm Sanctuary on the day of the Country Hoe Down, where he will favor attendees with a talk on “Spinning Your Wheels for Farm Animals.”

- University of Colorado ethologist Marc Bekoff, author (with Jessica Pierce) of Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals and many other books about animals, will speak about how non-human species experience and express empathy and emotions.

- Vegan Outreach Co-Founder and Executive Director Matt Ball, an inductee into the Animal Rights Hall of Fame, will present a lecture entitled “A Meaningful Life” advising activists on how to maximize their effectiveness and long-term fulfillment while working to help animals.

- Farm Sanctuary President and Co-Founder Gene Baur, author of the best-selling Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, published by Touchstone (a division of Simon & Schuster) in March 2008, will speak about the history of Farm Sanctuary and current advocacy efforts underway to protect farm animals.

Other daytime activities planned for the Country Hoe Down include hayrides and hourly guided tours of the 300-acre shelter (during which attendees will be able to meet some of the hundreds of rescued farm animals living at Farm Sanctuary), vegan cooking demonstrations with chef Jason Wyrick, and a guided yoga session. On Saturday night, however, the party turns to contra dancing with the traditional Irish sound of the Pub Scouts in the People Barn until midnight. Guests are offered the option of complimentary camping under the stars on the sanctuary grounds, as well as information about booking accommodations at the area’s many hotels.

Tickets for the Country Hoe Down are $45 for adults and $20 for children 12 and under, and include a catered dinner, a continental breakfast, the barn dance, and all other activities. Those wishing to learn more about or register for this special event should log on to farmsanctuary.org.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.