2,000 SHOW FOR ANNUAL MARIJUANA FESTIVAL

Approximately 2,000 people congregated on Library Mall Saturday for the
28th annual Great Midwest Harvest Fest, a marijuana advocacy festival,
which ended with a 500-person march up State Street and, rally at the state
Capitol building.

A number of bands, including Los Marijuanos, played at the festival on the
mall, which also featured speakers advocating the legalization of marijuana.

The gathering at the Capitol has generally lasted about three hours,
historically only went on for about 10 minutes because of problems with the
amplification system, according to Mike Metcalf, chief of the Capitol
Police Department.

Ben Masel, a local marijuana activist, said the festival is not officially
called Harvest Fest. He added that he is happy with Saturday's head count.

"Since 1985 it's been called the Great Midwest Marijuana Festival," Masel
said. "There were more people in past years, but this is average for recent
years."

He also said the gathering is a good opportunity for marijuana activists to
congregate.

"It's been a chance to renew connections with people across the state,"
Masel said.

Metcalf said he devoted six additional officers to the gathering, which he
said has normally been peaceful. He said the police typically focus on the
congregation at the Capitol.

"There was no problem when they were here [at the Capitol]," Metcalf said.
"They usually focus on the Capitol. This year, they're focusing mainly on
the mall."

UW-Madison freshman Adam Keating attended Saturday's festival and said its
message was clear.

"It's pretty much what I expected," Keating said. "If it's trying to raise
social awareness, then it's probably making some progress in that area."