I'd be very curious to see a stoners' math-in.

Something involving art, yes. Keep it simple and colorful.

Oooh, Legos!

meth-fest has been going on for years already in protest of the 'other' event.

The only thing liberals hate more than conservatives is other liberals.

I say hold a letter-writing and phone-calling party, then after about four hours of annoying state and federal representatives, everybody breaks out the pipes and brownies and gets totally baked.

I wasn't able to go this year, but went last year and had fun. I guess I don't get what the problem is. A lot of people like it, cool! They can go. Some people don't like it, cool! Don't go. Simple.

It all sounds like fun to me, Mr. Kiley. But let's be serious: no Seattleite who smokes pot regularly would think this is fun. That's why they have Hempfest -- they're doing what they want to do. The rest of us are just left out in the cold. My suggestion: try your idea in a less-pot-exclusive city.

Hempfest is to weed what spring break is to alcohol.

Smokefarm had what, 500 attendees?
And Hempfest had 100,000?
I've never been to either event, but it doesn't seem like Hempfest has much of an image problem if it can attract that kind of a crowd year after year. Smokefarm on the other hand comes across like a small gathering of self-described artists deeply inspired by their own navels. Physician heal thyself.

I don't understand why there is so much anti-Hempfest talk on Slog. I attended Hempfest yesterday, and it was nice. The food vendors were selling yummy treats, the wares for sale were cool, and the people were just people. It was peaceful and nice. If you don't like it, then don't go. If you think that Hempfest should take a different direction, then volunteer your time and make it happen.

They should audition all the speakers first, and if any of them (a) have white dreadlocks, (b) pictures of Bob Marley anywhere on their person or (c) utter any of the 100 most common stonerisms, drown them in a bucket. Attendees should be held to the same standard, with additional provisos against drums of any kind, hacky sacks, frisbees, or slack lines.

Put Rick Steves in charge of it, basically. Win over the middle class.

Jettison the Smoke Farm comparison, Gurldoggie—it's totally specious. Smoke Farm isn't a political event designed to push legislators to change unjust laws. Since Hempfest is, it has a greater responsibility to the public.

Hempfest's problem is a p.r. problem for all of us. I don't like Hempfest, so I don't go. But I also don't like the fact that Hempfest is the public face of marijuana users in Washington state. It makes us all look like dumbasses and is counterproductive in trying to convince legislators (and their constituents) that pot smokers can be intelligent, productive people: lawyers and cops and teachers.

Basically, what Fnarf said. Put Rick Steves in charge and woo the middle class.

Repeat - it is a federal problem - changing the FEDERAL laws - the key - Rick Steves is non smoking leach, called publicity whore

Hempfest is in Seattle - summer fun, better than the block party and free and could get stoned - WOW - Bumpershoot is 40.00 a day now, I think the pot people are doing us all a favor, free digs and getting stoned with thousands of friends, how horrible can that be?

All you main stream pot smokers are an insult to a good high

Curious, what is the mainstream version of good sex?

If'n it's "wooing the middle-class" you're after, then you have to goes where theys is - Hempfest 2009, Bell-Square West parking lot, right next to Coldwater Creek.

@13:

I believe that would follow the "sex is like pizza" analogy...

@12:

Brendan, regardless of what Rick Steves and his pot-smoking churchmates say, I think a lot of the folks you talk about (teachers, lawyers, etc.) haven't smoked pot since college, at best. Granted, I'm basing this off of the teachers and lawyers that I know. For these guys, they say they would (smoke pot now and then), but they don't for two reasons:
1. They're afraid of losing their jobs or getting arrested.
2. Frankly, they can't find any. They aren't hippies in drum circles and they don't live on Capitol Hill. So, they don't have the connections.

Take the act of obtaining pot here away from this select few, and you'll bring in the middle class you're seeking. They don't hear about Hempfest until it's already happening. For now, they're content to simply remember pot from college, and drink their livers away. For the folks I know in that situation, it's exactly what they're doing.

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@12,
It wasn't me who brought up Smoke Farm as a cooler alternative to Hempfest - it's the first sentence of your post.

But regardless, my point isn't whether one event is better than another. My point is that Hempfest seems well in control of their public image - just about all of the Hempfest coverage I've seen has been extremely positive. The local mainstream media has gone out of their way to describe the weekend as calm and law-abiding, with the obvious exception proving the rule.

The only griping I see about the event is right here on the Slog. As much as I may agree with you that hippies are an anachronism, there is simply no denying that the festival attracts stoners and the people who hang with them. And Hempfest's association with that peace-loving demographic hasn't hurt Hempfest's cause one bit, except among a tiny group of non-conformist journalists.

Yeah, peace-loving. That's why Dan Savage is uncomfortable in the middle of them, because they're so peace-loving. And their goddamn pit bulls on-string would never bite anyone, I'm sure.

heres an idea. some kind of pot event that requires actually money to enter. and perhaps suits and ties.

actual money. fucking fuck.

Seriously, I want to go to a pot event that has Mr. Poe clones.

We could call it...I have no imagination. Help.

If college fraternity culture was leading the charge for beer advocacy, drinking wouldn't be legal either.

Ok, while I have no problem with Hempfest, I would SO SHOW UP for the math-in!

@11 There's a speakers jury, they have contentious debates over who is allowed to speak. There's a lot of inertia to overcome, and there aren't a lot of good speakers vs a LOT of tired hippies with the same shpiels. Maybe you wanna try to speak at HempFest next year? I can forward you to the right email alias if so.

@12
HempFest is all volunteers. It looks that way because that's the culture the volunteers come from. If you wanna change it, come volunteer the other 11 months out of the year. There are many on the Core staff who are far from hippies, never wear tie-dye, don't listen to reggae or the Dead, etc. Come join us, I've got numerous volunteer opportunities at the DanceSafe stage for ya if you want 'em.

@11 There's a speakers jury, they have contentious debates over who is allowed to speak. There's a lot of inertia to overcome, and there aren't a lot of good speakers vs a LOT of tired hippies with the same shpiels. Maybe you wanna try to speak at HempFest next year? I can forward you to the right email alias if so.

@12
HempFest is all volunteers. It looks that way because that's the culture the volunteers come from. If you wanna change it, come volunteer the other 11 months out of the year. There are many on the Core staff who are far from hippies, never wear tie-dye, don't listen to reggae or the Dead, etc. Come join us, I've got numerous volunteer opportunities at the DanceSafe stage for ya if you want 'em.