###

PREVIOUSLY

• Dell’Arte Was Excited to Bring Cannifest to Blue Lake. Then City Hall Threatened Legal Action.

###

Una serie de malentendidos de las últimas seis semanas se resolvieron en la reunión del Concejo Municipal de Blue Lake de la noche anterior, ya que el cuerpo de cinco miembros instruyó al personal a trabajar con Dell’Arte International y el organizador del evento Stephen Gieder en la planificación de un evento multiday Cannifest en el centro de la ciudad en septiembre.

El nuevo director artístico de Dell’Arte, Noah Bremer, reconoció anoche que la comunicación con la ciudad “comenzó con el pie equivocado” cuando la reubicación en Blue Lake del evento fue prematuramente anunciada en las redes sociales, lo que suscitó preocupaciones entre el reducido personal de la ciudad sobre problemas logísticos como estacionamiento, cierre de calles y gestión de multitudes. 

Algunos aspectos se han aclarado desde entonces. Gieder explicó que el evento no incluirá ventas de cannabis, distribución con licencia o áreas de consumo en el lugar, y Dell’Arte ha propuesto organizarlo bajo su permiso de uso condicional existente. 

Jennie Short, Gerente de la Ciudad de Blue Lake, quien fue nombrada para el cargo en diciembre, explicó en su presentación que parte de la nueva dirección de Dell’Arte desconocía la situación de permisos existente. La compañía de teatro sin fines de lucro recibió un permiso de uso condicional para su festival anual Baduwa’t Festival. La última versión de ese permiso es indefinida, sin fecha de terminación, por lo que, teóricamente, Dell’Arte no necesita la autorización de la ciudad para organizar un evento en sus instalaciones en la Calle H 131.

Sin embargo, Gieder espera organizar un festival de música, artes e intercambio que se extienda más allá de la propiedad de Dell’Arte para abarcar algunas calles adyacentes de la ciudad. Anoche, Short presentó al consejo un mapa aéreo que muestra tres tamaños de evento potenciales, dos de los cuales incorporan la plaza del pueblo:

###

Short explicó que la línea verde representa el tamaño de evento más grande propuesto por Gieder. Incorpora tanto la plaza del pueblo (ubicada en la esquina superior) como el Logger Bar (esquina inferior). 

Short también señaló que Cannifest está actualmente programado para coincidir con Mad River Enduro, un evento de ciclismo de montaña que tiene lugar, en parte, en campos de propiedad de la ciudad. 

When Gieder addressed the council, he began by apologizing, saying he didn’t intend to catch the city off guard. 

“I didn’t think I needed any permits from the city to have a music event within Dell’Arte’s space,” he said. He noted that Cannifest has been invited back to every place it’s been held thus far, and, getting a bit defensive, he brought up the angry voicemail he received from city staff after announcing the event on social media.

“I didn’t think I was going to get that [kind] of a reaction from the City,” he said.

There was some back-and-forth with Mayor John Sawatzky about who reached out when, but the council soon moved on to asking for specifics about the event. Gieder described it as a “cannabis pride festival” that’s open to all ages, with farmers displaying their cannabis on tables and an evening concert inside Dell’Arte’s school facility. He estimated a maximum crowd size of roughly 1,500 people, including vendors. 

Dell’Arte Board Chair Artemis Pebdani also addressed the council.

“Dell’Arte has not been doing well, man,” she said, referring to the organization’s financial struggles. “We’re hanging by the thinnest thread. And so I’ve come on, and Noah Bremer, the new artistic producing director, has come on to try our best to revive this institution that means so much to us. And a lot of the way that we have decided that we need to do that is to use our one asset, and that asset is our building.”

She acknowledged that there are logistic hurdles to navigate. But she said Dell’Arte really wants Cannifest to happen, and she urged the city to help find solutions. 

During the public comment period, the majority of speakers expressed support for Cannifest and Dell’Arte — and applauded when others did the same. A few residents voiced concerns about parking. Lori Ponte, who lives a block away from the venue, said that while Dell’Arte has always been wonderful, she doesn’t support Cannifest at the site due to parking issues.

On the other hand, fellow neighbor Rebecca Collins said, “I’ll tell you, when the music plays at Dell’Arte when the festival is there, I open my windows and dance in my living room.”

“I know that we can work together to make this happen,” Dell’Arte alum Sarah McKinney said, expressing the dominant sentiment. 

Blue Lake Chamber of Commerce President Justin Good said that while he has some concerns about the event, he’d like to help. 

“If you’ll have us, we’d love to work with you any way we can to make this event beneficial for the community,” he said.

An organizer of the Enduro event said he’s concerned about conflicts with parking and the Mad River Grange. When the matter came back to the council for discussion, Councilmember Elise Scafani noted that parking may be the only way for the city to earn income from the event. She asked whether Cannifest could possibly be held on a different weekend.

“These events in the past have cost the city financially, rather than helped us,” she said. “So we really have to think this completely through. Not just, ‘Do we want to do it? Is it a feel good opportunity?’ But, ‘How are we going to make it work logistically?’”

Councilmember Michelle Lewis-Lusso struck a more optimistic note, saying, “I feel like this is a really great opportunity. … If there is a way, I would be all about, like, ‘Let’s make this happen.’”

Councilmember Kat Napier thanked Dell’Arte’s staff and said, contrary to rumors, Blue Lake’s current city council is not anti-pot. Mayor Sawatzky emphasized the importance of collaboration.

From there, the council started discussing how big an event the city could accommodate, whether or not to allow exterior fencing, the potential implications of blocking off the Logger Bar and other logistical matters. 

None of those issues were resolved over the course of the hearing, but staff said they felt like they had enough direction from the council to move forward. Short, the city manager, said she just didn’t want to make decisions on this level without involving the council. She indicated that Cannifest planning matters will come back before the council down the road.