The second annual Idaho H.O.P.E. Fest, Boise’s only hemp rally took place on September 30 at Ann Morrison Park. The gathering to educate the public on the many uses of hemp — is designed to promote awareness on the reform of marijuana laws in a positive and polite atmosphere, according to organizers.
H.O.P.E. stands for Hemp Offers People Everything, and this year’s event has a number of goals:
• To collect signatures on Compassionate Idaho’s Citizens Initiative seeking to legalize medical marijuana for Idaho’s seriously ill patients
• To promote the re-legalization of industrial hemp
• To educate the public on the growing cannabis industry, a legitimate market providing jobs and economic growth to states that have legalized its medical use
• To push for public discussions on the reform of Idaho’s archaic and unjust cannabis laws.
“Idaho H.O.P.E. Fest is a great opportunity to come have a great time and celebrate and learn about hemp in all aspects,”Compassionate Idaho’s Lindsey Rinehart told Toke of the Town. “This is a family friendly event packed with all sorts of interesting things.
“We encourage the community to come join us for free live music all day long, with speakers throughout to educate on a variety of subjects and interesting topics,” Rinehart said. “We have an expansive Kid Land, several education exhibits, and much, much more. We will also feature a lot of local food and non-food vendors!”
“For H.O.P.E. Festival 2012, we are planning on being bigger and funner,” organizer Sarah Caldwell told us. “We are working hard to get people together to have a great time and to get more knowledge about the cannabis plant and the many different ways it can help our community — not just our community but our country.
“We talk about going green by stopping using chemicals and things that don’t have the ability to be reused and recycled,” Caldwell said. “This plant is so resilient that it could save our rainforest, as well as protecting our planet by producing oil and biofuels instead of tearing up our earth looking fur fuels that cause pollution. With using hemp it grows up out of the ground and is replenishable, and it also renews the soil, making it richer”.
Moms for Marijuana ‘s founding director, Serra Frank, told Toke of the Town that citizens need a more trustworthy source of information when it comes to cannabis.
“The only opportunity the residents of Boise have to learn about hemp or marijuana has been through public school drug education like DARE [Drug Abuse Resistance Education], or government funded rehabilitation and education programs such as PAYADA (Parents And Youth Against Drug Abuse) — all of which are laced with century-old propaganda from smear campaigns and outright lies riddled with racist, corporate intentions,” Frank said.
“HOPE Fest is Boise’s only chance to spend the day learning the true history and the real science of the cannabis plant,” Frank told us. “Presented in a drug free and family friendly environment, attendees can enjoy a fun filled day as they learn the true facts about marijuana.”
“Idaho HOPE Fest is a peaceful and fun opportunity to openly discuss the positive rewards of hemp ” Reminiscence Theater chairman Ryan Augusta agreed. “Together we can establish a solid foundation that will facilitate the use of such a beneficial, yet controversial, resource. Thank you for all the community support; everyone’s ideas are welcome and encouraged. See you all Sunday!” (Augusta will be the MC/stage host at the event.)
“This year’s Boise HOPE Fest’s primary goal is to properly educate the citizens of Idaho in a positive manner regarding the medical marijuana movement, providing the citizens an opportunity to stand up for what they believe in and make a change that will heal the sick and save millions,” Compassionate Idaho’s Derek Fleek told Toke of the Town.
“Attendance is vital to advance the medical marijuana movement forward in Idaho in a positive way,” said Russ Britt of Compassionate Idaho. “We need more volunteers helping us in order to change these laws like other states have. What a great opportunity for recruiting like-minded individuals to our cause!”
One of the strengths of HOPE Fest, according to 45th Parallel owner William James Esbensen, is that it actually is an organic outgrowth of the community itself.
“This truly is a grass roots effort to educate the people in Idaho about the facts on cannabis and its medical properties and hemp and its renewable resource capabilities,” Esbensen told us.
“When I say ‘grass roots effort,’ I really mean it! These folks don’t get paid and spend thousands of hours collectively to make it happen. “A shoestring budget would be an upstep for the organizers of this festival,” Esbensen said”.
So hats all to all involved for making this second annual HOPE Fest and maybe someday it will end the prohibition of cannabis through education and determination!”
Musical performers scheduled to perform include Pause for the Cause, Tom Chapman, Actual Depiction, Bukkit, Junior Giant, Sunshine Genocide, Boi Howdy, and Voice of Reason.
From: tokeofthetown.com
