Laurens board grants permit for art, cannabis festival
Sep. 20—The town of Laurens Planning Board approved unanimously Wednesday, Sept. 20 a special use permit to the organizers of the NY Cannabis Arts and Music Festival.
George Knarich, festival organizer, spoke to the board and about 25 members of the public about the plans for the festival, slated for Oct. 13-15 in Mount Vision, on a property owned by Lisa Layton.
The permit came with several conditions of approval — if all are not met by the start of the event, the permit would not be in effect.
Festival organizers are required to:
* Have adequate signage indicating the prohibition of weapons and illicit drugs on the property.
* Produce for the town a copy of the state Office of Cannabis Management growers showcase permit if the applicant chooses to sell cannabis on the property in the manner that the OCM grower showcase permit allows.
* Allow no unauthorized unlicensed sales of cannabis on the property.
Produce copies of all licenses for all
* participating dispensaries that are known prior to the event.
* Ensure lighting does not disturb adjacent properties or spill onto adjacent properties.
* Allow no amplified music on the property past 11 p.m.
* Produce proof of adequate liability insurance submitted prior to the event.
* Meet all relevant noise limitation standards, whether they be local, county or state.
* Provide to the town all relevant contact information for festival operators and property owners.
The board also conducted a SEQR review during the meeting and determined the proposed activity would have no negative environmental impact. Knarich, a former dairy farmer who now runs a runs a CBD business at Knarich Family Farms in Mount Vision, used to run the New York Harvest Festival and Freedom Fair with his former co-organizer, Rob Robinson of Damn Sam Productions, but the two have since parted ways and Knarich has been running the show since 2021.
Knarich said he expects to draw between 500 and 1,000 attendees for a weekend of camping, music, art and a cannabis growers cup competition.
As of Wednesday, the festival has sold 23 general admission tickets and six day pass tickets. There are about 13 vendors that are interested, Knarich said.
"I considered it still my mission to make this event a good thing for our community," he said, "I didn't want a bad thing here."
Layton said that she believes the festival will be good for local businesses.
"Everybody can make some money on an off-time of the year," she said. "It'll be perfect for people to bring in some money, bring in some taxes locally."
She said that the festival would take up about 20 to 25 acres of the 70-acre property.
Ryan O'Malley and his wife, Katie O'Malley, live on a neighboring property. Ryan O'Malley raised concerns about noise, light and smell spilling over onto his property.
"In regard to the location of this event, does it have to be in an area where there are immediate neighbors?" he said. "Is there a field perhaps where it could be where there is less impact? As far as odor, as far as noise, excess lighting?"
He's been living on the property for seven years.
"My concern as a neighbor is that I'm going to be subjected to it, whether I choose to attend this event or not," he said.
He said after the meeting that his concerns were addressed "more or less, we'll see what happens. It's all I can do."
Knarich said he's committed to doing everything above board this year.
In 2020, Knarich was charged with second-degree criminal nuisance and trespassing for promoting that year's event amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All charges were eventually dropped.
The Otsego County Health Department issued a cease-and-desist order to Knarich and his then-co-organizer Robinson as the festival violated the state's ban on mass gatherings at the time.
