There’s a free event happening this weekend in Long Beach to honor veterans of the United States military.
From 3 p.m. until 10 p.m on Saturday, November 13, the Harvest for Heroes Festival and Block Party will take over a portion of Long Beach’s historic Pine Avenue.
Organized by Catalyst Cannabis, Immersia, and The Blacklist, the event is rooted in deep respect and love for military veterans.
Immersia Labs Chief Strategy Officer John Reese says they wanted to give back to the veteran community through a special, fun, and free celebration during Veterans Weekend.
Reese says the primary goal of the event is to celebrate and support veterans and the Long Beach community by bringing everyone together at Pine Avenue to connect through music, cannabis, art, and more.
“There are several needs to address within the veteran community—from health to education and everything in between,” says Reese. “For the Harvest for Heroes team and our partners, natural medicine like cannabis is our wheelhouse, and we believe it can be a holistic solution that benefits veterans’ overall wellness.”
Food and Entertainment
In addition to live street art, food, drinks, roaming street performers in the Growpackers Promenade area, Saturday’s event will feature a lineup of musicians on the main stage including Chali 2na of Jurassic 5, House of Vibe All-Stars, Common Sense, Kaleo Wassman from Pepper, Street Drum Corps, Ras-1 from the Long Beach Dub Allstars, and Krooked Treez.
Saturday’s event will feature the Just For Fun skatepark at the 5th Street and Pine Avenue intersection, curated by legendary Long Beach skater Boo Johnson.
Cannabis Talk 101 will also be in attendance on the Veteran’s Storyteller stage and feature guest talks from veterans and experts in health and natural medicine.
The first 250 veterans that get a Veterans Laminate at the 5th and Pine Cannabis Talk 101 veterans area booth will receive a free BBQ dinner courtesy of Stiizy and Lucille’s BBQ.
They will also receive a gift bag of natural health products from the Catalyst Dispensary at 433 Pine Avenue for $1.
Supporting the Veteran Community
Reese says that, in addition to the Harvest for Heroes event, The Blacklist joined forces with Stiizy to support the veteran community by launching an exclusive limited-edition vape battery on November 11.
“The vape battery can be purchased on Stiizy’s website,” says Reese. “And all proceeds will be donated to the Veterans Cannabis Group, an advocacy organization providing education, safe access, information on VA resources and benefits, (and) employment and networking opportunities in the cannabis industry.”
Looking forward, Reese says they have other veterans initiatives they will launch in the coming months.
Reese says Jonathan Chia and the Veterans Cannabis Group will consult with them regularly to assess how they can best assist the veteran community.
The free Harvest for Heroes Festival and Block Party goes from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday, November 13, 2021.
