The first 4/20 since legalization of recreational cannabis in Minnesota was a welcome step toward normalization of the substance, said festivalgoers Saturday in Mankato.
Before legalization, celebrating the annual marijuana “holiday” was limited to smaller group gatherings behind closed doors.
Saturday’s inaugural festival and growing competition outside Rush Smokes & Liquor, 2112 Hoffman Road, drew 420 observers out to celebrate in large groups together for the first time.
“It’s just nice to come out and not feel like I have to stay inside,” said Dylan Mock after lighting up a joint. “I can partake with others who enjoy cannabis.”
People went out to celebrate legalization on Aug. 1, said Rush’s Ryan Rutjes, but there wasn’t a big event planned to celebrate it in Mankato. April 20 provided that opportunity, inspiring Rutjes and other organizers to bring in vendors, food and music.
“I just wanted to give a safe place for the cannabis community to come hang out and celebrate,” he said.
Rutjes got word out to local growers as soon as he got the OK from the city for the event. To participate in the Rush Cannabis Cup, they needed to buy an entry growing kit from Rush and submit their finest cannabis flower to judges.
Judges tested 19 submissions ahead of the free festival based on appearance, aroma, taste and effects. Two winners, one each in photoperiod and autoflowering divisions, were recognized at the event, while attendees could select a people’s choice award by inspecting jars of each.
Coloration is what Jesse Gould, one of the judges, looks at first. Orange hairs and purple leaves stand out on a bud, but it needs to taste, smell and produce a nice effect to be the total package.
The cannabis cup was based on competitions Rutjes saw going on in other cities. As a first-time event in Mankato he wanted it to be a fun, friendly and “mini version of what is to come.”
“It’s to get the ball rolling,” he said.
Speaking to the crowd once the event kicked off, he also said he hoped the event showed how these events can be done safely and responsibly. The event was 21+ with no alcohol allowed on site and no sale of cannabis allowed outside. People could smoke inside the roped-in area.
Bryce Reetz and Dakota James took their turns inspecting the growers’ jars Saturday, pointing out which smells they preferred among the colorfully named samples. After the failed war on drugs criminalized its usage for so long, James said, it was nice to see cannabis so openly celebrated.
It felt like progress, Reetz said.
Mock, who organized music for the festival through his Mock Production Studios company, said the cannabis community wanted acceptance, and Saturday’s festival helps with that.
“We’re enjoying weed in the same way people enjoy alcohol, in that casual way,” he said.
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