Hempfest gears up for 26th edition

The Moscow Hempfest is returning to East City Park on Saturday for a day of education and fun. It is free to attend and is from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Hempfest got its start in Moscow in 1996, said organizer Arlene Falcon. It was a student effort and was always planned around Mom’s Weekend, now Parent and Family Weekend. Falcon got her start as a vendor those first few years.

It was 2006 when she would become the head of Hempfest. Falcon said she only started to help with the organizing because she had not heard anything and didn’t want to see the event end.

Now, coming up on the 26th Hempfest, Falcon has continued to organize it.

When not planning for Hempfest she is volunteering with the Moscow Renaissance Fair and running her business, Tye Dye Everything, at 527 S. Main St., in Moscow. On Wednesdays she runs a Grateful Dead radio show on KRFP.

Hempfest has live music, speeches and a petition among the craft and food vendors. Falcon wants it to have educational information around hemp, cannabis and medical marijuana.

Petitions are available at Hempfest this year from Kind Idaho, a group that wants to legalize medical marijuana in the state. It would cover medical marijuana for multiple diseases including cancer, hepatitis C, Alzheimer’s and post-traumatic stress disorder. More information about Kind Idaho is available online at kindidaho.org.

The music performers at Hempfest include Moscow acts Solid Ghost and Will Fontaine. Also tabbed are General Mojo’s from Seattle, Snacks at Midnight from Spokane and more. The music schedule can be found online at moscowhempfest.com.

“I want it to be educational, but also have a fun atmosphere,” Falcon said.