A variety of events take place during Moms’ Weekend, one of which is the annual Moscow Hemp Festival Saturday.
Created by a UI student in 1996, the event recreated the atmosphere of the Seattle Hemp Festival, with items like wristbands, while highlighting the potential of hemp and its many uses.
Hemp and cannabis both come from the same plant, but hemp is generally used for its fiber length and strength, containing hardly any THC.
Arlene Falcon, the owner of Tye-Dye Everything in downtown Moscow, took over the event in 2006 to keep the festival on track.
“I was inspired to keep the event going to educate the public on the difference between hemp and cannabis,” Falcon said. “I am politically motivated and an activist for raising awareness about the legalization and the decriminalization of both. There are positive aspects around the stigma of just sitting around and smoking pot, such as how amazingly sustainable hemp is, because you can use every part of the plant for different things, making it very economically friendly.”
Falcon said the legalization of both would allow more company and industrial uses for products, as well as personal uses medically and recreationally. The decriminalization would change the status and perception of the plants for the better, Falcon said.
There will be a petition at the festival again this year to push for legalization.
The event is a great opportunity to learn about what is happening in Idaho with the legalization of hemp and cannabis, Falcon said.
Several bands will also be participating throughout the day, including Mother Yetti and Solid Ghost, and will play a variety of instrumental, rock, pop rock and metal music with a tinge of blues and surf.
Falcon said every year the moms who visit love the event, and it’s a fun arts and crafts fair to attend.
“This year will be similar to years past with homemade, fun, hippie items such as hemp clothing and jewelry,” she said.
Held in East City Park from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the festival is one of the first outdoor events during the springtime in Moscow.
Sean Sullivan, owner of the Pho20 Cafe and UI Alumna, has been a vendor at the hemp festival for 20 years. Originally created in 1998, the food idea became a way for Sullivan and some friends to make extra money during their time at UI. Some of their most popular items are burgers, polish sausage dogs and chicken and shrimp kabobs.
“One of my favorite parts about the festival is interacting with so many different people and how educational the whole day is,” Sullivan said. “There are about 50 different vendors from great food to arts and crafts. The event is family friendly and my 16-year-old daughter has enjoyed starting a lemonade stand in front of our café.”
Sullivan said the event brings the community together, with the businesses and visiting moms loving all of the different aspects.
“There is a constant flow of people all day long, pursing all of the vendors and getting out of the house to enjoy some great music and a taste of spring,” he said.
Allison Spain can be reached at [email protected]