Event Coordinators
John Schlicker and Nikki Abbey
Thank You John and Nikki and all your wonderful crew for an awesome time !!!
Thanks You Sponsors
Komorn Law, Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, Michigan Hemp Industries, Mad Max Collective, Cannabis Counsel Law Firm, NE MiNorml, Third Coast Custom’s, Young’s Organic Garden, Holy Smoke’s Tobacco & Cigar, Esteban’s Divine Organic Honey
Pre-Event
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2019 Cannapalooza event in Hubbard Lake Michigan Aug 16-Aug 18 was coming.
It was our first experience with the annual event which was said to have grown over the past few years. We had heard many great things about the event and expected nothing short of a great event in a beautiful northern Michigan setting.
The planning and marketing to let people know about the event several months in advance became intense as the event date neared and we looked toward mother nature to give us the best weekend weather ever.
Packing Up
All week before the event we packed and planned. Were we going to forget something? The answer would be yes… and we would not know till we got there.
Thursday – August 15, 2019
Departure
Final preparations and packing that morning and the night before commenced. All vehicles were filled from top to bottom with the event and backwoods camping supplies. An RV Camper was not in our budget and we decided to just rough it on the event grounds instead of getting a hotel.
Each departed at different times from different origins for the 3 plus hour drive North.
The Drive
Up I-75 through the SNAFU of construction and traffic until Flint was in the rearview mirror and the herd began to thin. Splitting off I-75 north of the Saginaw area to US23 through the tiny town of Omer and then North on 65 which ran through the Huron National Forest. It had been many years since going through there and it was still as beautiful as remembered.
Around Hubbard Lake toward the north side to the destination of Lion Park. The darkness of night was coming.
Base Camp Established
We forgot stuff…
WTF- Come on AT&T it’s 2019. No service means no posting and no calls home to reassure the GFs and wives we are still alive.
An occasional wave of service would blow through like a quick breeze and you would hear AT&T phones make noise and receive texts to the joy of their owners. Some received the same redundant texts 3-4 times over the weekend.
Verizon people enjoyed mediocre service while others also had issues.
Dinner was shared and the rest of the long night carried on while our group established it’s endless presence through loud storytelling and the creation of campfire story legends. Some neighbors tolerated it for now… while others engaged and laughed.
The night was awfully cold and damp. If you weren’t ready for it – then you weren’t ready for it.
Friday – August 16, 2019
Yea… that was a cold night. Slept in the van driver seat. Did not want to turn on vehicle with all the tents so close. Could have slept in the tent but felt safe and dry in the van.
It was a long day of get happy activities while setting up our event display. Fun and work… one of the greatest mixes.
The crowd was light and it was a vendor to vendor night of activities which was expected. There were many vendors there with different specialized products and services.
Looking at the scenery it soon became clear this was the HASH BASH minor of the north and everyone was there to chill and enjoy the event.
There was no noticeable alcohol drinking except for a few… therefore there was no police required (except for the ones you did not see that were lurking about as they always do).
Operation Slushie was renamed to Operation Cold Punch when the machine refused to freeze because it was so hot out.
We broke down our event items knowing that rain was coming. It stormed that night around 3 am and our event items we secured stayed dry.
A very peaceful evening that went on late with more campfire stories of Dirty Dan a character created and told by one the group. The stories could be heard for 50 yards in each direction and all the other campers went to sleep once again not being able to get Dirty Dan stories off their minds.
The van.. although not comfortable was once again a dry and safe haven.
Most of us were grateful that we were not tip to tip in the single bed hotel room that the lucky two shared.
Saturday – August 17, 2019
Woke up to water in tents and wet food and items about which some were protected by the canopy. Eggs, bacon, and more bacon was made as the tales of Dirty Dan continued with a new character added named God Damn Ray who slept outside half under the canopy until it started raining.
Lucky he did not get Sqatched as he passed out in the gravity chair.
We ate and set up our event areas.
The crowd was larger and the bands played all day and continued most of the night night as they did on Friday too.
It was a long hot and humid day. Still no shower… so a circa 1970’s Elvis wipe down was in order.
The generators fired up all around us… nuff said.
Looking at the scenery it soon became clear this was the HASH BASH minor of the north.
John Sinclair was somewhere.
Elevation Station From Ypsilanti was there
Amanda from the Elevation Station in Ypsilanti was there promoting her retail CBD location and on line shop as well a marijuana patient and caregiver physician services. ElevationStationYpsi.com
Boston George was there.
Michael Komorn arrived and toured the event as we met Boston George whose story inspired the movie Blow
Steve Miller sings Steve Miller
Steve Miller thanked the sponsors and then performed Steve Miller with Razor Ray on some futuristic looping machine.
Estebans Honey BBQ Cook Off
Esteban’s 1st Annual BBQ cook off sponsored by Komorn Law took place and was judged. The winner’s filet mignon was out of this world and later that night the winning chef was announced.
We broke down after dark while some vendors stayed open later.
We sat around the community fire and went in the main building to see the bands.
We also sat around our campsite with our neighbors whom came from as far as Chicago, Massachusetts and other areas.
So the ideas of TV shows and story lines of Dirty Dan and God Damn Ray flew around and every episode ended in a police chase where they narrowly escaped somehow in an unplanned series of privileged events.
Sunday – August 18, 2019
We slowly milled about as we woke up and packed like Sunday sloths. We decided not to eat the eggs that looked like a week long bowel disruption and scrounged breakfast from the food that was left as well as hit the outpost.
More stories of Dirty Dan and God Damn Ray who spent 2 nights in the gravity chair echoed throughout the campgrounds as surrounding campers were observed lighting torches, sharpening pitchforks, melting tar and gathering feathers.
Finished packing, said later and out.
It stormed. Traffic was lighter than expected. Probably just good timing.
Home – Life back in effect.
Shout out to our camp neighbors at Cannapalooza…
That Cannabis Show
More Info
Friday:
Jack Elliott
John Sinclair
Trent Breithaupt
Habana Gold
The Rupple Brothers
David Clay Ladd
Power Surge
Katharsys Theory
Saturday
The Birthday Suits
Gypsy Feats
Wolf Creek Release
The Bandura Gypsies
Stoker
Les Older and The Ganja Gang
With Razor Ray’s throat singing & healing vibes around the campfire!
Speakers
Michael Komorn – Komorn Law
Rick Thompson
Boston George
Rev Steve Thompson – Lifetime cannabis activist
Zahra Abbas – Epilepsy
Jamie Cooper – Autism
Michael Thue – CBD
Amie Carter – Autism
Jamie Lowell – MiLegalize/JazzCabbage
Ron Langworthy – Bliss and Natural living
Debbie Wilson – Neurology and Cannabinoids
Brad Kallio – Renewable Energy
Sunday Noon Hemp Solutions, Hempcrete Demonstration
Glass Blowing by Sancho, Polaris & ADH Design
Live artistry!
Jenn Cook
Kat Lunn Sanders
Hubbard Lake Lion’s Park,
14999-14701 Hubbard Lake Road
Hubbard Lake, MI. 49747
Hubbard Lake Wikipedia Info – Interesting
THANK YOU SPONSORS
Komorn Law, Mad Max Collective, Cannabis Counsel Law Firm, NE MiNorml, Third Coast Custom’s, Young’s Organic Garden, Holy Smoke’s Tobacco & Cigar, Esteban’s Divine Organic Honey, Michigan Medical Marijuana Association, Michigan Hemp Industries
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