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The California Hemp Expo was a tremendous success.
The Expo was combined with a High Times 25th(?) Aniversary party.
I didn't see a whole of exposure about High Times Magazine
in general, but I guess they were a major sponsor of the event.
We arrived at 9:30 am and got a great spot by the fountain,
under the grossly trimmed trees that looked abnormally stunted,
yet provided much shade and nice lookouts for those who climbed
them for better views of the stage and expo. The official start
time was noon. It lasted for six hours, at which time the last
of the crowd made thier way through the vendors to find those
last few items they wanted to purchase, but not carry around all day.
Located in Golden Gate Park, around the fountains between
the band shell, the California Academy of Sciences, and
the Japanese Tea Garden, was the site of one great big party.
My guess is that tens of thousands of people came by. Many knew
of the event ahead of time, but many just happened on it by chance.
The location is always busy with people anyway and the huge crowds,
music, and booths just brought more and more people.
The weather was terrific. It started out cool in the morning,
turned into a nice warm and somewhat windy afternoon, and by the
end of the event, that famous San Francisco fog started to roll in.
That was about the time I think a lot of hemp coats and tops
were sold by many of the vendors. Lots of people were wearing
lots of really nice things made from hemp. I missed JJ, our
favorite hemp importer. She could not make it to the show.
A major client of hers made her a vested pantsuit out of the
fine 10oz summercloth we use, that would have been a showstopper.
The suit is in the high end of retail, costs almost a thousand dollars,
and is sold through an exclusive designer and shop in LA and NY.
I dont know the name of the business, but they must be successful.
They keep coming back for more hemp. They sell only top line styles
made from this fine linen-like hemp fabric. Ohhh soooo nice.
Attendees were mostly the pot crowd, Deadheads, and alternative
lifestyle folks, but many people from different walks of life
came out of interest. The Chinese tourists, the older folks out
for a walk in the park, the undercover DEA agents (I guess?),
and general public came with open minds and great smiles.
Everyone appeared to have a wonderful time. I saw no fights,
practically no open drug use or drug dealing, no busts, the police stayed
out of the crowds, and the cans and bottles got recycled almost
as fast as they could be emptied.
The schedule of events included Asphalt Poetry, The Marginal Prophets,
Fungo Mungo, Total Devastation, El Magnifico, DJ Markie Mark, and
of course, Fishbone who's frontman was dressed to kill in his totally hemp
zoot suit!! Wow!!! The sounds were cool. I would have prefered more
of the psychadelic sounds that San Francisco has been known for.
Lots of work went into the stage and sound board and a big hats off to the
crew and volunteers who made this all possible. This was no little
event! A lot of effort went into this and it was most appreciated.
Speakers included Ngaio Beafun - cannabis comic/event MC; Cannabis
Action Network and High Times Magazine; Business Alliance on
Commerce in Hemp; Families Against Mandatory Minimums; The Libertarian
Party and Forfeiture Endangers American Rights. This writer was
too busy at the vending booth to listen to most of the discussion,
but the crowds were definitely into hearing what needed to be said.
I have a quote from Jack Herer, hempster extraodinaire:
"Get off your ass, change the laws.
The laws wont change untill you get actively in every
politician's face over and over and over and over again
until they fall!"
I guess Jack was a little upset that the initiative did not do as well
as he had hoped. There is not a loss yet though. Check this out.
Chris Conrad, of BACH (Business Alliance on Commerce in Hemp) told
me about a lawsuit that is in the works against the State of California.
The lawsuit, which is on appeal, is based on technicalities regarding
the procedural problems encountered by Jack and the other writers
of the California Hemp Initiative. It seems the word hemp was
replaced with the word marijuana, which not only caused undo
hardships due to wording and raised prejudices, but also caused
major delays in getting the initiative out to the public in time
for this deadline. The suit asks that this issue be added to the
ballot ANYWAY because it was unfairly compromised by the State.
The lawsuit also is based on harrassment which has unfairly
compromised this legitimate and legal attempt to change the laws.
We've all heard stories about real criminals getting cleared of
charges on technicalities. Lets see how this works with the ballot.
Also regarding Chris and BACH, he is doing a tour across the USA
between August and October. He needs information about events
where he can speak and spread the word. Please contact Chris
Conrad with any information you have.
Voice mail: (213)969-1607
Fax: (415)898-9563
Email: HELP HIM! He needs to find a good access email account.
He travels a lot and is wondering if AOL would be a good choice.
He needs a service where he can locally dial into the network
and access his email as well as other Internet type services.
Chris would also like to hear from the European hempsters as well.
He is planning on another Europe tour. Chris has done a lot of work
with the Hash Marihuana Museum in Amsterdam, which is open every day.
Jack and Chris practically launched the marijuana legalization
movement through their book, "The Emporer Wears No Clothes".
There were quite a few vendors there, for sure. I couldn't guess,
except to say, maybe a hundred. Quite a few stragglers were there
who just showed up with a few crafty type items for sale. The biggest
loser was the food concessions. Bummer. More people were asking about
food than almost anything. One enterprising young man set up a grill
and made nasty looking grilled cheese sandwiches for a buck. He had
a huge line of people who were ready to eat almost anything.
My guess, is he made the most money of the day. Some people
just have no class. These things were burnt, dirty, and gross.
On the food line, one guy had ground up hemp seeds mixed with
organic brown rice syrup. Pretty gnarley, I'ld have to say, but
he was giving away free samples. I think hemp seeds are very
nutritious and have a neat nutty flavor, but they need to be
one of the minor ingredients if you expect public support.
Brownies, granola bars, cookies, and such would be great with
a little ground up hempseed in them. Our collective is seriously
considering some tasty and nutritious snack bars. We have access
to a kitchen, can get the permits, and have more talent between our
members than you can shake a bud at. We're ready and we do trades!!
Food Not Bombs was on the scene with bagels and breads.
I love those folks! As usual, they sold nothing, but accepted
donations to help the cause of publicly feeding the hungry.
Mayor Jordan of SanFrancisco has publicly been at war with the
homeless and the hungry for quite some time. He claims it is in
the name of the war on crime, but his targets and actions show
that his agenda is bit deeper than that. He seems to attack
those who are trying to help. It's like President Clinton and
the U.N. trying to shutdown trade to North Korea and claiming
it is not an act of war. Hell, what was the Gulf War all about?
It was an act of war to support free trade of the American Oil
Companies, was it not? Editorial off, followup by email please.
Now, regarding the vending booths, this gets long and will include
a bit of info about everyone I met and talked with.
Joanne and I (Got It Covered, members of the Redwood Hemp Collective)
arrived on the scene at about 9 am, so we got a nice spot under
a tree near the fountain. The folks from the Cannabis Center and
Hemp Emporium on Haight Street were very instrumental in getting things
set up for everyone. Cheers to them! What a nice setting it was for the
Redwood Hemp Collective. We had an 8 foot table with just about every
product of the cannabis hemp plant available in one form or another.
We had our problems of course, the Cannabis Clothes van broke down
in Novato, so they were quite late getting to the expo and were very
tired and upset by they time they finally arrived, but Candi, in
her infinitely kind and awesome personality, had a wonderful day
showing, talking, selling, and taking orders for her fine custom
clothing. Alan of Hemp Book and Candle had a relapse of a bad cold,
so I handled his lip balms, soaps, candles, creams, paper, etc.
We did a fair amount of sales. It was quite obvious that the
majority of people were looking for those $3 items that were easy
to purchase and carry away as fun memories from the day.
We almost sold out of our tiedyed beanbag frogs at $12 each.
They got hugged and tossed all day. I must have heard, a hundred
times, "Awww gee... I had one of these when I was a kid....
awe.....how cute......" and never once tired of it or lost a smile.
I did lose my smile once though. Our neighbor had a gong that he
was banging on so much we not only could not hear the band, but
I couldn't hear a voice from two feet in front of me, across the table.
I let out a hardy "HEY!" in his direction. He mellowed out.
I know why they dont let instruments into Dead shows much more.
Among the other vendors, was California NORML, with an info booth.
Ganja Gear was pretty cool. This is a husband and wife team
who make fanny packs and bags from hemp. They highlight the
gear with Mudcloth, from the Dogon Tribe of Mali, Africa.
Verrry nice people. They will be at the Health and Harmony
Festival next weekend in Santa Rosa, California. I told them
to call me when they get to town. I live a few blocks from
the Fairgrounds, so we can help them with local logistics.
They said "Gangah Gear is the name. We make hempwear clothes
and bags. We're only working with organic clothes. We're just
getting started but we feel really good about our product."
Nice folks, indeed. This is one of the major things I like
about the hemp industry in general, the awesome people involved.
The Hayward Hempery, a retail outlet in Hayward California had
a booth with lots of books. They can be reached by phone by
calling (510)JET-WEED. Store hours are Tues -> Sat, 11-7.
The Fourth of July will be the store's 1 yr. anniversary.
FATEEZ was selling mostly pot related Tshirts. You can contact
them at 150 Linden St., Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607.
Phone and fax is (510)832-3800. They gave me a cool matchbook.
It is black, and on the front, is the white outline of a skunk
sitting on it's honches, smoking a fatty! Nice design indeed!
The Hempstead Company, one of the oldest hemp manufacturers
was on hand. Their new business cards are printed on cards
made from 100% recycled hemp fabric. Verrry nice and original.
They are associated with The Ohio Hempery in one form or another.
Products are available through many catalogs, including Real Goods
and The Ohio Hempery. They produce promotional items as well.
Patrick and Chip were on hand to greet and meet the many attendees.
They can be reached at 2060 Placentia B-2, Costa Mesa, CA 92627.
The phone is (714)650-8327, 800-284-HEMP, fax (714)650-5853.
Kat was doing hair wraps, anklets, bracelets, and beads.
She generally hangs out in Venice, but also likes to play with
the HHH hair wrappers on Telegraph Ave in Berkeley.
Derek Jones and Sally Hanson, Mind Boggling Beads and Other Arts
With Heart were on hand with some of the most incredible Fimo
beads I've ever imagined. The quarter sized pendant with the
waterfall scene is the most popular seller. The hemp bead is
nice one. We may order a qty of them to make some simple easy
things with hemp twine. These are some truely awesome artists.
They have an evolving inventory and dont carry a true catalog,
but can reached at N. 12 Garry, Liberty lake, WA (509)255-6105.
I would say it is probably safe to order beads from them sight
unseen. The panther was great! They are superb!!
Hemp Style, The 90's Store for Clothing & More had some nice things.
They are located at 1499 Wagstaff Rd, Suite C, Paradise, CA 95969.
The phone is (916)877-HEMP or 800-939-HEMP.
LightSpeed Press is one of interest to you campus rats. They have
educational novelties, hemp info, do graphics production. They have
many nice Tshirts as well. It's worth getting a catalog. Some of
the Tshirt designs are very artistic and creative and priced right.
Kelly is trying to find ways to communicate with more campuses.
I suggested the Internet, of course. She has started a group
called "United Campus Coalition". She's been around since the
"Stop The Drug War Tour" and believe we should harvest hemp, not trees.
She will be touring the MidWest and the East, so if anyone can help
her with event information, touring logistics, whatever, please help.
She's very nice and would be fun for you to meet up with.
Write to Kelly Green at Lightspeed Press, 3145 Geary Blvd, Suite 469,
San Francisco, CA 94118 or call (415)985-5232.
On the more spiritual side is Sweetlight Books. They publish books
for people who love the Earth. A catalog is available by mail.
An interesting magazine is Holy Smoke, for people who love marijuana.
It is for people who use marijuana as a sacrament and medicine.
Holy Smoke subscriptions are $12 a year and a single copy is $3.
Contact them at Sweetlight Books, 16625 Heitman Rd, Cottonwood, CA 96022
or phone them at (916) 529-5392.
Hemp Connection has many nice articles of clothing. Marie Mills was
a seamstress from way back, but got out of the business. When she
found the hemp cloth, she found a renewed energy to pull her machines
out of storage and build it back up again. She has some nice styles
and colors. She does mailorder and has a catalog or her fiber products.
Write to her at P.O.Box 33, Whitethorn, CA 95589 or call her
at (707)986-7322.
Bruce Rose, Jeweler, is the one to contact for fine jewelry,
goldsmithing, silversmithing, setting, ring sizing, repair, ear piercing,
design, and gemology. He had some nice pendants. His shop is in
San Leandro, CA. Call him at (510)633-7939.
Cannabest sent Ellen Kemp. What a pleasant and friendly person she is.
They are in print now of a four color catalog of hemp products. They
rep a lot of stuff and will have some nice offerings. Write to them
at 1536 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, Ca. 93401, or phone them
at (805)543-4213 or 800-227-0510. I'm looking forward to seeing this
catalog. It's going to be chock full of cannabis products, stories,
and information.
Dont let me forget Two Star Dog! This is Steve and Alan, brothers
importing cannabis products from the orient. They have a full line
of hemp and hemp/cotton blend clothes including farmer overalls,
jeans, jackets, shirts, and lots more. I dont have contact information
on them, but if anyone writes to me I can dig it up through Mari Kane
of Hempworld. They are also creating some American made products.
I bought a bicycle hat from them. You know how hard it is to find
a decent bike hat that doesn't say Campagnolo all over it? This one
had the TWO * DOG logo on the front. That was acceptable to me.
The hat was $10 at the show. I couldn't resist.
Mari Kane of HEMPWORLD was on hand with her latest publication
which comes out every other month. The latest edition is the
fashion issue. We missed out on this one, but several other
members of the Redwood Hemp Collective have been featured here.
Mari Kane was working on an article for Entrepeneur Magazine
last year when she discovered how big this industry really is.
She discovered, while writing this article on the Hemp Industry,
that the industry does not have a newsletter to keep us all informed.
This was her calling. She has put together a newsletter that will
be the missing link between those of us who take industrial hemp
seriously. The newsletter is published 6 times a year. She has
published four issues since starting last December and hopes
to publish monthly. She asks for news, stories, press releases,
subscriptions, ideas, etc sent to her care of
HEMPWORLD
P.O.Box 315
Sebastopol, CA 95473
(707) 887-7508 phone
(707) 887-7639 fax
email: needs one!
Subscriptions are $30 per year.
Classifieds run at $1 per word. Display ads are $25 for a credit
card sized at up to $125 for a full page. Inserts available even
if you want to share one with others.
Mari defines hempster:
Hemp-(hemp)n.
A tall Asiatic herb cultivated for it's tough fiber and as the
sopurce of Bhang and hashish. - Webster
-ster (ster). A suffix denoting origin of one who does something
with skill or as an occupation. - Webster
Thus:
Hempster - (hempster)n. One who uses the fiber of hemp in his
or her occupation.
Hempsters are numbering in the hundreds and may reach the thousands
by the end of the year. HEMPWORLD will be the official newsletter
of Hempsters and the Hemp industry and will hopefully reach as far
and wide as the hemp industry can grow.
To those two guys from Berkeley who identified themselves as
not students, but intelectuals, and wore down Mari's ears with
talk about the specifics of the hemp industy, I would like to
repeat her invitation to you and to the readers on the net:
"Write an article! I'll publish it." Keep the story relatively
short and concise and make sure you provide factual information.
It's important that you know what you are talking about and that
you write your story in a professional manner.
Thank you for bearing with me through all this. The expo and
entertainment was wonderful and I'm hoping we can all get together
and do it again. I think we should have this event again in the
fall and twice again next year. I hope it was a financial success
for CAN and all the others involved in this wonderful event.
The many volunteers who made this event possible are too many to
list and unfortunately, unknown by name to me, so I'll just say
thank you very much. The party after the hemp expo was for you.
The party was at Trocadero Transfer, 520 Fourth St. @ Bryant
in San Francisco. It started at 8pm and went till whenever.
The party featured Separate Ways, Wicked Mary, New Kingdom,
Wolfpack, DJs Markie Mark, Tony, and Bam Bam. Tickets were
handed out at the end of the expo. Tickets were marked as
Admint One Only, No Invitation..No Admittance, Strictly Enforced.
It was printed on a rainbow colored card to eliminate duplication.
That may be why they were handed out at the last minute too.
We did not go to the party. It was late, we were dirty, we had
lots of merchandise and cash on us, and didn't feel safe in
that part of the city, so we went on home, stopping at Taco Bell
for a quick pickup, before home, unpacking, eats, showers and bed.
What a day! I'll remember it forever. The Hemp Expo I went to in
San Francisco at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park was not
nearly as big as this, but still hangs kindly in my mind. It was
a launching pad for my involvement in the hemp industry. I'm wondering
how many others got launched today. I'm sure we'll all be reading
about them in future editions of HEMPWORLD!