RECAP: The Emerald Cup Celebrates Ten Years Of Growth In Northern California
SANTA ROSA, CA — Cannabis enthusiasts from all walks of life gathered at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds this past weekend to celebrate a successful harvest, while exchanging knowledge with friends new and old.
Uprooting from its traditional location in the “Emerald Triangle,” the epicenter of California cannabis, The Emerald Cup migrated to Santa Rosa in 2013.
Founded by Tim Blake ten years ago, The Emerald Cup is the longest running outdoor organic growing competition in the world. The flagship event was held in Laytonville, CA and drew just 23 entries.
Nonetheless, The Emerald Cup stayed true to the ethics of the gardeners in the area and earned their support. The community has truly embraced its tradition as a result and the number of entries has increased ten-fold since its inception.
Industry Leaders Discuss Cannabis, Canna-Culture
Of course, competition is merely a part of what has endeared The Emerald Cup to the community in northern California. Much of the event’s appeal stems from the wealth of information one encounters when attending the various educational panels.
“There were discussions about everything from better business practices to medical cannabis for children.”
Some of the top minds the industry has to offer shared their philosophies about breeding cannabis, soil composition, concentrates, and much more. There were also a number of skill-based workshops for those in need of more direct guidance.
In addition to tips for cannabis enthusiasts of all experience levels, The Emerald Cup panels gave the community at-large an opportunity to learn about cannabis culture and the therapeutic benefits of the plant. There were discussions about everything from better business practices to medical cannabis for children.
One notable panel at The Emerald Cup went took place on Saturday. A few of the most instrumental figures in the realm of medical cannabis – Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather, Dr. William Courtney, Clint Werner, and Martin Lee – discussed cannabinoid medicine past, present, and future.
The Emerald Cup Celebrates Cannabis Gardeners, Activists
The Emerald Cup awards ceremony kicked off Sunday afternoon with an appearance from John Vergados of Skunk Magazine and the family of Brave Mykayla, an 8-year-old girl who uses cannabis to treat her cancer.
Shortly thereafter, The Emerald Cup honored Debby Goldsberry and Dennis Peron. They were each presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their work to further the cannabis movement. Peron married his partner of 28 years, John Entwhistle, in front of a packed Grace Pavilion as well.
“The winner of the best flower competition came all the way from Monterey.”
Judges at this year’s Emerald Cup had the pleasure of rating well over 200 entries in the sun-grown flower category, as well as 56 entries in the solventless hash category.
One would imagine that the large turnout is due to the event’s southbound expansion, with two drop-off points in the San Francisco Bay Area. However, a number of entries were submitted at select dispensaries in the Emerald Triangle.
In fact, 13 of the top 20 flower entries were dropped at Area 101, a collective based in Laytonville. Even still, the winner of the best flower competition came all the way from Monterey – nearly a three hour drive from Santa Rosa. In turn, he will be rewarded with a two-week trip vacation in Jamaica.
As far as the hash competition is concerned, a great deal of the story line revolved around whether Taylor from T. Beezle Farms would three-peat as champion. With that said, he was not phased by the announcement that he finished in third place. He announced plans to retire from the event in order to judge it in the future.
A complete list of winners at The 2013 Emerald Cup can be found below.
Photos by: Intwovision
The Emerald Cup is the world’s longest running outdoor organic growing competition. It is held every year in December after the Northern California outdoor harvest.Since its inception, The Emerald Cup has seen a notable rise …
T Beezle Farms is a California-based extraction company that provides medical cannabis patients in California with hash. It was founded by Taylor Beezle, a winner of multiple Emerald Cup concentrate competitions.In addition to other awards …
With degrees in journalism and library science, Clint Werner has focused on the field of preventative health care for over 25 years. He published his book Marijuana Gateway to Health: How Cannabis Protects Us from …
Dr. Jeffrey Hergenrather is a cannabis consultation physician who practices in Northern California. He is also President of the Society of Cannabis Clinicians, Vice President of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine (AACM), and a …
John Vergados is the Owner and Editor of Skunk Magazine, a cultivation publication based in Canada. He can often be found speaking at a number of cannabis industry events, such as The Emerald Cup. MANTIS_RECOMMEND …
Tim Blake is a cannabis activist and Owner of Area 101 – a dispensary in Northern California. He founded The Emerald Cup in 2003 and currently serves as the event’s promoter and president. MANTIS_RECOMMEND = …
Debby Goldsberry is among the most accomplished activists in the cannabis community, regardless of gender. She has more than 25 years of industry experience and is associated with a plethora of non-profit organizations.Goldsberry co-founded the …
Dennis Peron is an cannabis and LGBT activist who moved to San Francisco after serving in Vietnam. He may be best known for his co-authoring of Proposition 215 – California’s Compassionate Use Act of 1996.
Martin A Lee is an activist, journalist, and author who has published a number of works, including Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana – Medical, Recreational, and Scientific. He is Co-Founder & Director of …
