I am a big fan of fairs. I love fair food, and I’m a total sucker for the fair games in which the contestant can play a totally rigged game to win a prize that carries questionable value. I don’t know why, but I always have to give up a buck or two to try to land a coin in a tray, pop a balloon, or knock over some milk jugs. It’s fair season right now, and it sounds like at least one upcoming fair in America’s capital will feature a marijuana competition. Per NBC Washington:
For the first time, the District of Columbia State Fair will include a marijuana growing contest.
Participants in the pot-growing contest will be judged on appearance, odor and touch, including whether the stem is sticky and whether it bends or snaps.
I was able to find an entry form (at this link here), which stated the following:
Welcome and thank you for your interest in the DC State Fair first-ever Best Bud Contest!
The contest is open to District of Columbia residents ages 21 and older. You may register only one entry.
The DC State Fair will be held on Saturday, September 12, at the Old City Farm and Guild, 925 Rhode Island Avenue, NW (near the Shaw Green Line Metro Station). We ask that winning entries be on display until Fair closing at 7 p.m., when they can be claimed. All other entries may be picked up after judging.
Entry forms must be submitted by midnight on Saturday, September 5. Due to logistical constrictions, registration will close early if 50 entries are registered before the deadline.
Your entry must be from a cannabis plant that you’ve grown from seed. Please be prepared to submit a photo of you with your plant when you submit your entry on the day of the contest; a hardcopy photo or a photo from your smartphone will do. You must submit one small bud (~1 to ~2 grams) from your plant in a 1/4-, 1/2-, or 1-pint Mason jar.
Entries will be judged on the following criteria:
1. Appearance: Is it well manicured? Does it have Trichomes (sparkling crystals)?
2. Odor: What does it smell like? Does it have a sweet, spicy, or murky smell?
3. Touch: Is it sticky? Does the stem snap or bend?
4.Your Story: Did you grow your plant organically? Did you use artificial light, natural light, or a combination? Was the plant grown hydroponically or in soil? All of this information and anything else you would like the judges to know should be included in the Your Story category below in the registration from.
The judges will not consume or sample your submission.
You can drop off your entry at Old City Farm and Guild on September 12 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The judging will begin approximately at 4:20 p.m., and the winners will be announced after 6 p.m.
DC State Fair board, judges, coordinators, and volunteers are eligible to enter and can win ribbons, but any prizes of monetary value will be awarded to the next-highest placement.
Please fill out the information below to enter the first-ever DC State Fair Best Bud Contest.
If you have questions or need more information, please contact [email protected].
Thank you for entering and good luck!
I’m curious to see how this will work out. There was once a ‘pot pavilion’ at a fair in Colorado that generated the same type of buzz, but in the end, the event didn’t feature actual cannabis. Hopefully this event turns out to be a cool, and real, thing. If so, it would be yet another example of just how mainstream marijuana has become.
