Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park

Hempstalk hopes to hold its 10th anniversary festival at Tom McCall Waterfront Park later this month, but city officials still haven't issued the permit.

(The Oregonian)

Paul Stanford expects thousands of people to pack downtown Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park for the two-day Hempstalk festival, less than three weeks away.

All he needs is a city permit.

Eight months after Mayor Charlie Hales asked city staff to try and find a way to accommodate the festival, which advocates for legalizing marijuana and hemp for all uses, Stanford is waiting for a final answer.

"It's outrageous," Stanford said Friday from Spain, where he's set to speak at an international cannabis festival. "They're yanking us around," he said of the city's handling of the permit.

Hempstalk is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, and Stanford planned a downtown showcase. He booked musical acts such as Lukas Nelson (Willie's son), hired a well-known event coordinator, promoted the Sept. 27 and 28 festival online and plans to advertise in print publications, too.

City parks officials denied Stanford's application for a permit back in December, saying past Hempstalks at North Portland's Kelley Point Park featured lax security and overt drug use.

But Stanford and supporters packed the city council chambers in January to protest the parks bureau decision. Hales said he considered the festival a free speech issue and said if it happens, it should be held downtown.

Stanford submitted new paperwork in March.

Parks bureau officials on Friday said they couldn't definitively say whether Hempstalk would be approved or denied. Portland's Police and Fire bureaus are still reviewing aspects of the security and crowd management plans.

In an email, parks bureau spokesman Mark Ross said the event would get the green light if organizers "complete their preparations and plans to the City's satisfaction."

"This will be one of the most scrutinized permit applications in recent memory," Ross said in an interview.

Stanford said, in another recent interview, said organizers would do everything they can to avoid any issues and enforce the city's rules.

"This will be the only place in the city of Portland where marijuana won't be consumed on those days," he said.

Long battle

Earlier this summer, Stanford estimated organizers would spend $125,000 to put on the 2014 edition, a $40,000 increase over previous years.

An events coordinator to oversee the entire Hempstalk contributed to part of the new costs.

Stanford hired Peter Mott, a well-known event manager who worked for the Portland Rose Festival for a dozen years, as the event ringleader.

Paul Stanford, as seen during the 2012 campaign for his measure to legalize marijuana in Oregon.

Mott said he thinks everyone is frustrated, including the city, and "that's one of the reason I was hired."

Mott said the Hempstalk permit process has been slightly delayed, but he understands why the city is taking its time.

"As the event has grown," Mott said, "They haven't really maybe addressed all of the responsibilities and risk management issues that the city expects."

Part of those expectations is planning for "the worst-case scenarios," Mott said.

He doesn't fault the intent of Stanford and organizers in previous events, saying they wanted to comply with the city's requests. "I just don't think they've always understood the size and the risk factors that go along with an event like this," he added

City officials are requiring 40 security officers to patrol the park area, according to Stanford.

High stakes

Stanford insisted in January that the festival would go on without a hitch.

He continues to say it.

Organizers have hired a new security vendor, he said, whose employees will check bags entering the park. Medical marijuana cardholders will be allowed to carry their medicine, but cannot smoke or consume it at the event.

Stanford said to expect 100 vendors with food, crafts and hemp products. Vendors must pay $600 for a booth and can't sell cannabis products. The festival will occur in the area home to the Waterfront Blues Festival, both south and north of the Hawthorne Bridge.

The stakes are high, Stanford said, with a ballot measure to legalize marijuana headed to the November ballot. "We want to make the best possible appearance to the public to encourage the passage of the initiative in November," he said.

Mott said he expects the event will be approved within the next week or 10 days.

Stanford said he is "99.99 percent" sure the parks will approve the permit. "If they don't," he said, "then we're going to sue their pants off."

— Andrew Theen