BRINNON — A weekend festival celebrating marijuana will allow people to explore the new worlds created after Washington voters approved the legalization of the drug recreationally in 2012, an organizer says.
“Cannabis has been around for years, but now it’s gone mainstream,” said Nicole Black, who is sponsoring the second annual Hempapalooza on June 19-22, an expanded event from last year’s.
“We want people to come here, have a good time and smoke some weed with their friends but also want to keep it responsible and educational.”
Tickets are available now. They are $25 per day or $60 for the weekend “camping adventure,” in which attendees can carve out their own campsite on the 50-acre parcel located at 1014 Duckabush Road, which is owned by Black’s parents.
Black will discuss the upcoming festival at tonight’s meeting of the Brinnon Parks and Recreation District.
She will conduct a question-and-answer session at the meeting that will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Brinnon Community Center, 306144 U.S. Highway 101.
She hopes to coordinate with businesses and sign up volunteers.
Black, who has operated a medical marijuana store in Brinnon for two years, said she hopes the festival will celebrate the “cannabis culture” that is gaining traction as the use of the drug is demystified due to its legalization.
This year’s event has grown considerably from last year, when it was a marijuana “farmers market” that was held in the backyard of Black’s store at 91 Corey St.
This year, Black has prepared space and sanitation for up to 5,000 attendees, along with a full slate of enjoyment, entertainment and education.
Attendees can explore forest trails, discover a mountainside plateau and enjoy the sights and sounds of Olympic National Forest, Black said.
Several local musicians are slated to perform along with top names such as Grammy-winning trumpet player Julius Meléndez and guitarist Randy Hansen, who pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix.
A new movie, “Star Leaf and Midnight Delight,” will have its Washington premiere.
The business angle, according to Black, is what sets the event apart.
Attendees will have the opportunity to audition for the Marijuana Show, a Web-based series that connects people with ideas about cannabis business opportunities with investors.
Black said the event’s purpose goes beyond getting high: She would like to stimulate interest in hemp-based industries.
Hemp, a non-psychoactive strain of the marijuana plant family, can be used as a raw material but is forbidden by drug laws.
“I want to get people more information about hemp,” Black said.
“I can’t understand why it isn’t grown to make paper products so we don’t have to cut down so many trees.”
Black said hemp can be used to make food, fuel, clothing, medicine, livestock feed, building material and paper, and has the ability to create economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives to logging.
Black said she is looking for local food vendors to set up booths at the festival as well as cannabis-based businesses, adding that she will supply them space without charging vendor fees.
Tickets are available at www.eventbrite.com by searching for “Hempapalooza.”
For more information, call 360-301-0844.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
