Extravaganja 2010

I didn't have time yesterday to do more than a quick walkthrough at the 19th Annual Extravaganja rally calling for an end to the drug war. However, I saw plenty to take pictures of in my brief stay. That was unlike Amherst blogmaster Larry Kelley, who came by around noon, when it was raining and hardly anyone was there.

However, when I arrived around five o'clock the rain had stopped and the town common was packed with revelers. 

To escape the crowd some people took to the trees.

While I was there a great local Irish band was playing called The Swaggering Growlers. Hey, I thought the Irish were known more as juicers than tokers!

All the local crazies were out in full force.

Counterculture comedian Norman Bie was there doing the latest version of his routine Deviations from the Norm.

Event organizer and multi-media artist Heather McCormack getting down.

The tone overall was pretty mellow and everyone seemed well-behaved. Well, almost everyone.

Yet it was still the sort of scene where a guy could dance with his girl.

Tie-dye was everywhere, including attire for the psychedelic tot.

The icons of stoner culture were well represented, such as Pink Floyd.

The times they are a-changin' - Republican Grateful Dead shirts were for sale.

For the first time in Extravaganja history a candidate for governor campaigned at the event - Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein.

Despite less than perfect weather, the 2010 Extravaganja was a big success, especially for the downtown merchants like Subway, who cashed in royally on the munchie crazed crowd. 

 A psychedelic butt in the window of the UMass Student Union Art Gallery. 

 

The Extravaganja

A Big Success

 



In recent years there seems to have been a jinx on the annual rally in Amherst for the legalization of marijuana, otherwise known as the Extravaganja. The weather always seems to be rainy, too cold, no sunshine or whatever the weather can do to discourage attendance. This year however, perhaps in deference to the decriminalization of marijuana possession by voters last year, Mother Nature smiled upon the rally with some absolutely gorgeous weather.

In the course of my travels today, I passed through the rally site three times. The first time was at ten o'clock this morning, when things were still being set up.

When I returned around one o'clock a serious crowd had gathered.

On my final visit at three o'clock the place was mobbed.

The Extravaganja was a wonderful economic windfall for downtown Amherst. I wanted to stop at Bart's Homemade Ice Cream but the place was packed with a line going out the door.

I didn't smoke anything myself, but the smell of reefer in the air was stronger than at any past Extravaganja I've attended, and I have attended nearly them all. No doubt decriminalization had something to do with that, and indeed the police appeared willing to let people do what they wanted as long as everything stayed mellow.

One of the most dynamic organizer of this year's rally was Heather McCormack, shown here second from left with her band.

The Amherst Common was transformed into a sea of tie dye.

All aspects of high society were represented, like these hula-hooping followers of the String Cheese Incident.

Of course smoking paraphernalia was for sale.

The music was extremely wide-ranging, like these folks playing weird instruments.

From the main stage crusading libertarian Terry Franklin urged the crowd to remember that as long as one person is still being arrested for marijuana, their work is incomplete.

I don't know how I didn't see this sooner, but here's a video of Franklin at the Justice for Michael Phelps rally held at UMass in February. 

Humanity Enslaved

Bad news folks - the human race has been conquered by brain eating hordes of zombie undead. At least that's what happened at UMass at the conclusion of the week-long human versus zombie war. Although I missed the climactic final battle, I arrived just in time to see women tending to the wounded and the humans surrendering to their zombie lords.

The weapons of the humans lie discarded in a pile as they were led away to become slaves to the undead.

I had to leave so I never found out what the zombies made their slaves do, but I'm sure it was something fun. 

"Mr. Clark, I have reviewed this case very carefully," the Divorce Court Judge said. "And I've decided to give your wife $775 a week."

"That's very fair, your honor," the husband said. "And every now and then I'll try to send her a few bucks myself."