Slow Food First Coast is hosting a “Meal and a Movie Night” on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the St. Johns County Agricultural Center at 6 PM. The event will coincide with both Earth Day festivities and the celebration of Women’s History Month. The meal will feature an all-vegetarian buffet of fresh, local produce catered by Johnny’s Kitchen of Hastings, followed by a pre-release limited screening of “A Sense of Wonder,” a documentary style film about Rachel Carson’s pioneering work as the founder of the contemporary environmental movement.  Cost for the event is $20 and tickets may be purchased by calling (904) 692-1800 weekday mornings. Seating is limited. The film is only being shown in a small number of communities across the country.
“What better way to celebrate both Earth Day and the contribution of women to our society than to eat a delicious, local, vegetarian meal where the produce was pulled from the ground that very morning and follow it up with a fascinating film about Rachel Carson?” remarked Slow Food First Coast leader Richard Villadóniga. “This event is a celebration not only of how far we have come as a society, but where we are headed. Rachel Carson was ahead of the curve, but today, right here in St. Johns County, people are doing tremendous things to protect our natural resources and the future is bright.”
According to the film’s website, “A Sense of Wonder” is “an intimate and poignant reflection of Carson’s life as she emerges as America’s most successful advocate for the natural world” as she battled cancer in her final year of life.  The film was shot in HD by Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler at Carson’s cottage on the coast of Maine. For more information regarding this remarkable film, visit http://www.asenseofwonderfilm.com/.
Slow Food First Coast is a non-profit organization that promotes local food production, the preservation of our community’s culinary and cultural heritage, and public education and discourse on a system of food production and consumption that supports equity, sustainability, and quality. Slow Food is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. For more information visit www.slowfoodusa.org.
The theme for this year’s exposition is “Our Square Rootsâ€. This theme was chosen in honor of Savannah’s city planning and garden designs which as you know consists of lot’s of squares. Full-size exhibition gardens, lectures, demonstrations given by experts, and an open-air market with growers and vendors are just a few of the events. There is also a competition with the theme “Our Square Roots” where the competitors will be planting containers inspired by the theme. Visitors will get the opportunity to bid for the container gardens during the silent auction held during the weekend.