Nappy Roots to play at free cannabis reform festival in Pierce County this weekend
A free speech festival is coming to a farm in McMillin.
The Cantanna Fest is scheduled for Aug. 10-11 at the McMillin Farm and Brewhouse at 12517 state Route 162. It starts at 11 a.m. and ends at midnight on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Co-founder Scott McKinley told The News Tribune that the festival aims to push for cannabis reform.
“This is not a public consumption event,” McKinley said. “We are pushing for cannabis politics.”
The Washington Cannabis Workers Club (WCWC) sponsors the festival. The club is under UFCW 3000, a union that represents over 50,000 members who work in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis and other industries.
The WCWC recently established a “Cannabis Industry Bill of Rights,” which lays out “20 pivotal rights aimed at elevating the industry for all — from workers to consumers to owners and, from seed to sale to releasing prisoners from jail,” according to the club’s website.
Festival tickets and parking are free. Attendees of all ages are welcome. There will be food trucks and a beer garden. Musicians such as Nappy Roots, Donald Glaude and Muck Sticky will perform onstage.
McKinley said he does not know how many people will attend.
As of Friday, about 1,200 people had responded to the festival’s event page on social media. About 800 are interested and 300 plan to attend.
Asked about traffic, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss Jr. told The News Tribune that McMillin Farm and Spooner Farms have held various events along SR 162, and that traffic was not significantly affected. He said he’s not worried about any traffic impacts the weekend of the festival.
Fox 13 reported that the festival was supposed to happen at Myrtle Edwards Park in Seattle. Before that, it was supposed to be at Lincoln Park in Seattle. Before that, it was supposed to be at a farm in Snohomish.
McKinley told The News Tribune that the Snohomish farm owners sold the land the event was supposed to be on weeks before the festival. He said residents who lived near Lincoln Park complained about the event possibly being too loud, and that local law enforcement didn’t have enough resources to keep an eye on Myrtle Edwards Park.
This is the festival’s second year. Last year, it happened in Renton. McKinley said about 1,200 people attended.
More information can be found at thecantannafest.com.
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