BEAVER DAM PREPARES FOR WEEDSTOCK 2002

Beaver Dam Mayor Tom Olson wants it to be clear that he is not
rolling out the "welcome wagon" for Ben Masel and his Weedstock rally
set to begin at noon on Memorial Day in Swan City Park.

Yet Olson accepts that it is Masel's constitutional right to
peaceably assemble.

"They applied for a permit to use the park to make a political
statement. And as such we have no legal right to deny them that,"
Olson said.

Acting as primary spokesperson for the city's preparations for
Weedstock, Olson said he has had a series of meetings with the Beaver
Dam chief of police, Jana Stephens director of parks and recreation,
personnel from the department of public works and the Dodge County
Sheriff's office.

Various public safety and law enforcement issues surround the
gathering of such a controversial issue as Weedstock, in which the
focus is advocating the legalization of marijuana and the use of hemp
as an agricultural commodity. Rally participation estimates range
from 450 to 2,500 people.

"We intend to show a police presence from the very beginning of the
rally. We intend to enforce the law according to the standards of the
community. We will make arrests of people who are being disorderly,
using illegal substances, or violating any other state statute or
city ordinance," Olson said.

As far as a specific number of officers that will be staffed, Olson
said he is reluctant at this time to give an exact number of police
that will be on hand, saying "I think we have made suitable
arrangements to have a more than adequate police presence

Dodge County sheriff deputies will be available should the necessity arise.

According to Olson, police will issue municipal citations based on
the age of the individual committing the offense,."If they are
juveniles they will be cited under the municipal law."

However Olson added, "We intend to make arrests of people who are
using illegal substances."

Masel has not requested nor has he been granted a permit to allow
consumption of alcoholic beverages. However, Olson concedes that park
policy does permit groups who are coming into the park to bring
alcoholic beverages in with them.

Auxiliary police will be on hand to handle traffic control issues.
And tow services have been put on notice to immediately tow any car
that is illegally parked or blocking residential driveways.

As far as the economic impact of Weedstock on the city, Olson just
shakes his head, saying "I can't even imagine what this is going to
cost the city, but it is going to be a lot of overtime, and we have
no way of getting back any overtime expenses for personnel That is
something the city is going to have to eat."

Masel, however, is responsible for clean-up of the park afterward,
rental of porta-potties and other park facilities such as the band
shell for musical entertainment.

Olson predicts that current provisions in the city's park policy,
including allowing non-residents the same type of access and use of
the park facilities as residents, will be taken into consideration.
This will also include considering a security deposit or bond in case
of damage to city property.

"The city's policy for groups from outside of the city will be
undergoing close scrutiny and will undoubtedly be changed," Olson
said.