CannaVenture Presents: BMFR8 – ‘Freaker’s Ball’ – The Recap
September 8-10, 2017
Guffey, CO
It’s been just over a week since CannaVenture® Presents: BMFR8 Freaker’s Ball and the second CannaVenture season has come to a close. Words cannot express how far we’ve come as a crew, the advances we have made with our events, the friendships formed through our community, and the joy we’ve experienced this past season. Black Mountain Family Reunion #8: Freaker’s Ball did not disappoint. With 30+ bands and 140+ guests in attendance, this was the biggest event that the CannaVenture has had the privilege of being involved with.
Thursday night, some of the staff headed up early to help set up the event to find that almost 40 volunteers were already onsite making sure the place looked its best for the reunion. After an early night, dabs and some prep, some of the staff took to bed early to prepare for the arrival of the campers the next day while others kicked off the party a night early.
With the Friday morning sun came the early-risers who couldn’t wait to be at the Freaker’s Ball. The property opened at noon to campers and guests, and musical performances kicked off shortly thereafter with a naked set from Ducky and Ryan. Yep, they played guitar in the nude, barely hidden by acoustic guitars. Throughout the weekend, the music would only stop briefly from 3am-ish until 8am-ish, and then the tunes would start up for another round. There’s nothing quite like waking up in the mountain air to an acoustic set from a mix of artists from the previous day’s acts.
As the day progressed, the Southern Park County Fire Protection District helped cook up some awesome food at the Black Mountain Soup Kitchen and the CannaVenture Crew set up the Dabbin’ Cabin to the delight of attendees looking to elevate their outdoor musical experiences. All proceeds and donations from the entire event go to support the SPCFPD and their efforts to keep Colorado beautiful and protected from fires and natural disasters.
Saturday morning, a small group of campers headed up to the top of the mountain, on the edge of the property lines to catch sunrise views during a morning yoga session led by Ahimsa Yoga. After Yoga, many found their way to the Dabbin’ Cabin for breakfast dabs before enjoying the morning’s tunes. The Dabbin’ Cabin was the CannaVenture Headquarters for the weekend, offering dabs from a variety of brands, including EvoLab’s Chroma distillate and Alchemy (distillate with terpenes). We even had “Off Grid Jenny and Red Eye,” two incredibly nice edible chefs dressed in western jailbreak attire, serving up medicated mocktails and infused cookies to the 21+ crowd in the cabin.
In spite of some midday rain, the Smith & Woods wedding took place at 2PM and almost everyone at the event was in attendance. Following the creative and whimsical service, everyone was invited to meet at the main stage for the annual family picture (picture above). Once the photos had been taken and the celebratory drinks and dabs partaken in, the music continued on into the late hours of the night.
Sunday morning came all too soon for the campers. As everyone awoke, SPCFPD cooked up a pancake breakfast for everyone and Ducky’s Magnificent Sanctuary Band serenaded the property with early morning tunes. Music continued Sunday until into the afternoon, followed by movie night for the remaining campers. As always, it was incredibly hard to pack up tents, stuff gear into trunks, and leave this gorgeous property and the beautiful people that flock to it each year.
This year’s Musical Schedule (Subject to Improvised Adjustments):
Friday
12-1 Naked Ducky
1-1:45 Emily Quayle
1:45-2:45 Josh Vogeler
2:45-3:45 Black Mtn Donnie Bee
3:45-5 Ian Hilmer
5-6:15 Phunky Bitch
6:15-7:30 Uncle Tuesday (Dagan Thomas)
7:30-9 The Holler!
9-10:30 Joe Johnson and the CO Wildfire
10:30-12:30 Liver Down the River
12:30-2 Low Side Demand
Saturday
8-9 Half Pelican
9-10 Paul McFarland
10-11 Forest Moehle
11-12 Lissa Hanner
12-1 BabyWood HatBox
1-2 Pistols in Petticoats
2-2:30 wedding and family pic
2:30-4 Grant Farm
4-5:15 Stompin’ George Eldon
5:15-6:45 Split Window
6:45-8 Ryan Chrys and the Roughcuts (Performance Video)
8-9:30 Dust Stompers (Performance Video)
9:30-11 Northern Strangers (Performance Videos: #1, #2)
11-12:30 Rubedo
12:30-2 The Other Black
8:30-10 Magnificent Sanctuary Band
10-11:30 Bottlerocket Hurricane
11:30-1 Steepland Stringband
1-2:30 MLIMA
2:30-4 MiloHayes Meld
As with every event this year, this weekend was a memorable experience that left an impression on all who attended. From the countless songs listened to, the emotions shared at the wedding, the joints and dabs shared, and the memories lived, we could not begin to summarize every bit of awesomeness that the Freaker’s Ball offered. I could not have asked for a better experience with each and every one of you, and I cannot wait to see you all again next year’s events! We have finalized dates and locations and will be releasing information soon.
As always, stay thirsty for adventure and thank you all for continuing to make it all worthwhile.
Much love,
Cannabenoid
To request more information or discuss a sponsorship at one of our events, you can reach Cannabenoid directly at Ben@Creativebenefits.org.
P.S. Don’t forget to join the Group on Facebook.
P.P.S. Here are all of the pictures that I could find from our weekend. If you have more, please email them or tag us in the photo. Please comment below if you’d like me to caption your photo!
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