Inagural Central Florida Cannabis Fest Took Attendees Higher With Two Days Of Music
by James Coulter
Ray Brown Jr. owns Mom N Pop CBD and Wellness Shop in Plant City. He sells many products with cannabidiol (CBD) that help alleviate arthritis, glaucoma, and other ailments.
Children as young as one-and-a-half take their gummy candiesfor ADHD, ADD, and sleep issues. His oldest client is a 94-year-old woman from New Jersey. She applies CBD topicals to her knees. The result has been quite astounding.
“She came in our store with a walker and walked out literally with no walker,” Brown said.
Brown showcased many of his products, ranging from edible gummies to ointments and tinctures, at the inaugural Central Florida Cannabis Fest last weekend at the Plant City Flea Market.
Brown has also been selling his merchandise from Dr. Brown CBD, his booth at the flea market on Wednesday. Having attended cannabis festivals across the country for the past two years, he considered the flea market to be a viable venue for such an event, which is why he pitched it.
Over the weekend, Brown and his staff showcased their wares and even offered a few samples, all while extolling the natural benefits of CBD. Overall, he enjoyed being able to interact with people and see them walk away happy.
“It has been very welcoming and successful,” he said. “I love the smiles on everybody’s face. I think we are at the point, halfway through the day, I think we are beyond what we thought we could do. And even vendor-wise, we got more than we expected. And the turnout has been wonderful.”
Several dozen vendors showcased a diverse selection of CBD-related products during the inaugural Central Florida Cannabis Fest over the weekend at the Plant City Farmers and Flea Market. The event also offered food trucks, children’s activities, and more than ten local bands performing live music.
The event was free to the public with $2 to $5 parking. Proceeds from alcohol sales and a portion of the parking went towards donations to Polk County’s Rockin on the River and the Tampa Autism Awareness Shop, which recently opened a therapy center.
While most other cannabis fests are for attendees 21 years and older, this festival was geared to be more family-friendly, allowing attendees of all ages to enjoy the fun activities.
“The turnout today was amazing,” explained David Higgins, Vice President of Sales at Boss Hogg Radio, which helped facilitate the event. “People are very receptive, super friendly…This isn’t just a party scene. This is a community get-together for small businesses for a fundraiser.”
Darby Boys was one of those small businesses. This family-owned business from Dade City grows hemp for CBD within an outdoor environment. The CBD is then used to create all-natural remedies.
Jason Nicolette, son of the owner, enjoyed the event. Not only did it allow them to gain exposure for their business, but they also loved the overall festive atmosphere with great food and great music.
“We were invited to come out here, to have a good time,” Nicolette said. “It has been a great festival. I think everyone has had a great time so far. I would say we are really blessed to be out here.”
Higgins and many of the staff at Boss Hogg Radio are veterans, as are many of their clientele. As such, they understand the benefits of CBD for many of their ailments as veterans. They wanted the public to understand these benefits, which is why they launched this inaugural event.
“We believe healthy safe access is important, not just for veterans, but for everybody,” he said. “If it is truly beneficial for their life, it should be accessible to everyone, they should be allowed to learn about it and have the choice.”
The flea market plans on hosting similar events soon with other themes. They will be partnering with Born To Ride Magazine for a motorcycle and motorsports event on July 27. They also plan for a fall festival in October and a holiday event in December.
“We are extremely happy,” Higgins said. “And the turnout [for this event] is much better than anticipated. These events continue to grow. We want to get to a point where we can do a monthly and get them to become larger and larger and get more of the small businesses involved.”
