On February 5th, Rick Sanchez walked toward me with a beer in hand and a grin on his face. He didn’t notice my watching, though. To him, I was just another face in the crowd, another one of the dozens of smiling faces who moved from station to station at KingPins in Portland, Oregon. I can’t help it, though: the way the colorful lights of the bowling alley illuminated his blue hair entranced me.
Okay, so it’s not the Rick Sanchez, but it is a guy enthusiastically dressed as one, who prepared for the nights’ “Best Dressed” contest. He’s one of the many folks hanging out at this year’s CannaBowl, a cannabis friendly bowling event put on by The Daily Leaf and Confident Cannabis—a software company bringing transparency to legal cannabis.
The idea was pretty simple: get a bunch of awesome cannabis businesses together and put them under one roof for a bowling tournament and voila: CannaBowl was born.
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“The Oregon market needs some fun and relief,” said Brad Bogus, VP of Growth & Marketing at Confident Cannabis. “It was great to be able to don some fun bowling outfits, let our guards down, and just enjoy each other’s company.”
Strikes and Cannabis
If you strolled through the halls of KingPins during Cannabowl, you’d have seen a sea of booths with friendly vendors. From dispensaries like Deanz Greenz to testing labs like Cascadia Labs, just about every type of cannabis business was represented in some way. Some booths encouraged you to spin a wheel for a free prize, while others proudly showed off masterfully crafted product displays. The Caputo Group stole the show with their CBD cannolis, re-enforcing once and for all that the way to a cannabis lover’s heart is through their stomach.
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I noticed the DJ spinning in the bar area (okay, I spotted cupcakes) and find my way to the Dank Brothers’ booth. Two ladies enthusiastically greeted me, and as I said “hi,” I couldn’t help but notice the relatively small crowd and the air heavy with testosterone—or maybe it was just the appeal of the large cash prize for the bowling competition that made everyone extra hyped for the night.
I watched as a group of men huddled together nearby, with one man in the center swearing heavily. He insisted one of the groups “hired ringers,” an allegation I might take more seriously if I wasn’t so distracted by the glittering rainbow lights that beckoned me to the bowling lane.
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As I walked out, I couldn’t help but notice one final treat: a table full of cookies. Laid out with cups of milk and a sign that read “SDK (She Don’t Know) Loves You.” I offered up a silent prayer, grabbed two cookies and dipped, excited by the prospect of heading home for my own goodnight bowl.
