The Sellen of Hempfest 2006

No thanks to the Seattle Art Museum or their contractor, Sellen Construction, for making it easy to attend Hempfest this weekend. Their obstinacy in complying with terms of a Parks Department permit wasn't resolved until midweek.

Finally, like a petulant kid deigning to clean his room, they reluctantly cleared a 10-foot dirt path around heavy equipment and through construction debris at the site of the new Olympic Sculpture Park thereby allowing tens of thousands of local folks (in shorts, tees and halters) access to Myrtle Edwards Park.

C'mon, Sellen! Hempfest ain't no flash-in-the-pan, hippy fringe festival; at age 15, it's the largest marijuana rally in the nation by far, not to mention one of Seattle's most popular free music weekends. Might not be what the white-wine-&-brie museum crowd goes for, but, hey, this is America, dammit!

2:15: Inside at last. Jesus freaks and potheads mingle amiably on the broad lawn.
2:30: At the "Hemposium" tent, marijuana policymeister Dominic Holden moderates a panel on future political strategies.
3:00 Bands like Death-and-Taxes, Pyrx and Silas tune up on the music stages.
4:00: Munch a politically correct Mighty-O donut and wait for music to subside.
4:20: All better now.