Every year, the Vedanta Society, following a forty year tradition, has been holding a whole-day public interfaith program at its Olema retreat in Marin County on Memorial Day.  A guest speaker from another faith tradition is always invited to join our swamis to address the topic chosen for discussion which will always center on a universal theme in religious and spiritual life. A special feature is an extended question and answer session with the audience. Details of the program are posted in April of each year.

To fittingly celebrate this occasion, a public program was arranged at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco consisting of a round table discussion by eminent guest presenters, a showing of historic photographs, and a concert of Indian classical music by a well-known virtuoso on the sarod.

On the occasion of the 150^th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, in 2013, the area of the Olema retreat known as Vivekananda Grove, which – until then- had consisted mostly of groups of trees found in areas of the East Coast that had been visited by Swami Vivekananda, now was significantly embellished.  A fitting redwood and glass enclosure containing a bas relief of Swamiji in meditation was added.  Several meditation benches also were placed in the now mature grove of well-developed trees.  In addition, an architecturally designed roof structure now embellishes and protects the memorial plaque that features embedded stone from American locales visited by Swami Vivekananda as well as reproductions in stone of the colorful leaves that the surrounding trees display in the autumn season.