By Benjie Cooper
IG: @nuglifenews
YouTube: Lucid’s Vlog
On a wet Friday morning in Northern California, the latest Hempcon event opened it’s gates to thousands of cannabis patients and enthusiasts for another weekend of cannabis festivities. The three-day convention usually takes place at the Cow Palace in Daly City but this time, organizers opted to hold it at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, March 24-26. The weather was wet and rainy around the opening of the event on Friday, but the sun managed to shine through on Hempcon’s biggest day, Saturday. Still, clouds crept their way back in on Sunday, giving the vendors and attendees a little more rain before packing up their cannabis loot and heading home.
The storm clouds that floated ominously over the northern regions of California may have dampened the grass field where much of the event was initially scheduled to happen, but not the spirits of those attending Hempcon. Vendors relocated their booths out of rain’s way to the dirt floor of the adjacent Lyttle Cow Palace, a metal-roofed venue where, among other things, equestrian events and sheep dog trials take place. As the rain stopped, the Hempcon weekend started and merchants began selling their cannabis products to the oncoming crowd. Many of the vendors had glass rigs set up at their tables for serving the usual assortment of free dab samples to eager attendees.
Hempcon events will sometimes have an associated theme. In October, they held the Halloweed edition where attendees could participate in costume, pumpkin carving, and joint rolling contests. Event-goers could even take a stroll through a corridor of creepy haunted house style displays filled with various ghosts, ghouls, and other monsters. This time, the event was called the Heart of Nature Festival and live music was the primary theme. The performance stage was set up inside the hangar-like Grace Pavillion building where various acts including Indica Roots, Hirie, Fortunate Youth, and Stephen Ragga Marley performed.
Anyone who attends a Hempcon in recent years should know that the host, Medi Mike can be found onstage throughout much of weekend, tossing out freebies from vendors, joking with the crowd, and presenting glass trophies to the Hempcon Cup winners. Best indica/sativa/hybrid, best booth, best edible, and best concentrate were some of the different Cup categories.
Hempcon is one modern cannabis event where the emphasis is not placed solely on the free dabs and entertainment. Educational seminars are always a part of the weekend as well. On each day of the event, an assortment of advocates, attorneys and other players in the cannabis industry spoke to audiences in Garrett Hall on a range of marijuana related topics.
Hempcon holds several events each year in California. Their next event, the 420 Reggae Festival, will be held at the Cow Palace April 21-23 followed by the Rise Together Festival June 20-25 at the NOS Event Center in San Bernadino. Tickets and additional information can be found at their website, www.hempcon.com.
