cannabisnews.com: Clearing The Air on Orange Show SmokeOut





Clearing The Air on Orange Show SmokeOut
Posted by CN Staff on November 09, 2003 at 19:04:19 PT
By Gregg Patton
Source: San Bernardino Sun 
We are six days away from the Cypress Hill SmokeOut music festival at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino. So, good burghers of San Bernardino, get ready to hide your kids, lock your doors and avoid the drifting cloud of marijuana smoke.Or, perhaps, maybe it won't be that big of a deal. Whatever the case may be, the SmokeOut's reappearance in San Bernardino after a two-year absence has irked some city leaders who believe the event tarnishes the image of a community hoping to remake itself as the Family Channel of Southland cities.
Meanwhile, the Orange Show's board of directors contends that the event is more about the music. As a corrupting influence on young people, it barely registers, they say.Those are opinions. What we know is that about 20,000 fans will attend a concert Saturday that will last from about 1 p.m. to midnight. Its headlining band will be hot ticket Linkin Park. A host of other acts of varying popularity will play on two stages. People will dance, cheer, sing along, and, presumably light up.How much of it is a corruption depends in part upon one's stance on the evils/blessings of marijuana. The SmokeOut traditionally has been part concert, part political rally, advocating the legalization of the leafy drug.People have been known to smoke pot at the concert. Of course, people have been known to smoke pot at Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, Garth Brooks, Beach Boys and, yes, Britney Spears concerts, too.The difference, say some city leaders, is that this event carries with it the message that marijuana is a good thing, and they think that that's a bad thing to be associated with.City Attorney James Penman, Mayor Judith Valles, police and the executive director of the San Bernardino Chamber of Commerce, Judi Penman, are among those who have objected.As the city has struggled with the perception around the Southland that it has little to offer, leaders have grown increasingly sensitive about its image. One thing the city has had success with and hopes to build upon is the growing number of youth sports activities, including nationally televised Little League games and regional soccer tournaments.Judi Penman's criticism may have been the most biting and personal: "I don't understand why the responsible business people, who raised their children here and sit on the Orange Show's board, would allow this to happen.'In a nutshell, the board's position can be summarized like this: Allow what to happen?"We've monitored other events with bands like this and they haven't had problems,' said Bruce Varner, chairman of the board and a long-time San Bernardino lawyer. "This event is more of a music concert than anything. It's not as much to promote marijuana as it was years ago.'Even if it was, the board has an obligation to respect the rights of those who apply to use its grounds, said Varner."This is a public facility chartered for public events,' he said. "There are constitutional aspects of picking and choosing who can use the facility.' Brad Randall, National Orange Show general manager, said he has turned down acts and groups that may be more trouble than they are worth. He said he typically researches the history of performers and won't book those who, say, trash equipment, vandalize hotel rooms or bring a violent element to their shows."We are concerned about the image of the city, and we've told promoters and organizers that this is a good place,' said Randall.He said he follows Internet chatter about raves held at the National Orange Show, and the reputation of the venue is that it is particularly safety-conscious. One Internet critic called the National Orange Show "that Nazi site,' Randall said, referring to tight security.Still, National Orange Show officials concede, some drug use can be expected."We don't condone it, but it happens,' said Varner, who noted the board constantly reviews the suitability of events at the National Orange Show, including raves, and will take another look at the SmokeOut after it comes through."We do listen to people,' said Varner. "What's really disappointing is the personal attacks on the board, to say that we don't care about the city."We do a lot of events pro bono here, for charity. When we have a chance to put on events that make money, it supports the other things we do.'Ron Skipper, the attorney for the National Orange Show board, said members have an ongoing debate regarding events that appeal to young people. They can agree to have shows like raves and the SmokeOut at the National Orange Show and try to make them as safe as possible. Or they can turn them down and watch kids from the San Bernardino area drive long distances to attend them anyway."No one is more pro youth and pro youth sports than people on this board,' said Skipper, who thinks the uproar over the SmokeOut has given the event's notoriety more credit than it deserves. "I just wonder about the wisdom of picking out this one event and building it up like it's such a big thing.'In the end, the National Orange Show should be many things to many people, partly because there aren't many places like it in this part of the world. It is understandable that city officials and leaders may not want to encourage events that seem outlaw-ish. There may even be something reassuring about living and working in a community where leaders stand up and offer what we think are sincere appeals to protect us from perceived harms.But it also should be reassuring to know that San Bernardino is big enough to handle something as edgy as the SmokeOut.If the city was a speck on a map, and its only claim to fame was hosting a giant pot party, I'd worry.But the notion that the SmokeOut brands the city as anti-youth or tarnishes its image presumes that San Bernardino is too weak and too small to fend off Cypress Hill's marijuana advocacy.My guess is that the city will be OK. It will absorb the music festival, shrug it off and move ahead. Just as soon as the smoke clears. Gregg Patton's "Like Nowhere Else' appears occasionally. He also writes a column that appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Source: San Bernardino County Sun (CA)Author: Gregg PattonPublished: November 08, 2003Copyright: 2003 San Bernardino County Sun Website: http://www.sbsun.com/Contact: gregg.patton sbsun.comCypress Hillhttp://www.cypresshill.com/Smoke Out Festivalhttp://www.smokeoutfestival.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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