The way weed brings people together is the most fascinating part of cannabis culture and if you've experienced the phenomenon firsthand, it's easy to understand for reasons that aren't easy to explain. Now that legalization is spreading, the gathering of weed-lovers from varying backgrounds is a new trend I can get with. I've been on the hunt for what's going on beyond the corporate borders of legalization and last week I attended the Master Rolling Class hosted by High Minded Events.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was familiar with High Minded Events through word of mouth and social media posts. At the very least they seemed professional. I consider myself a novice roller, so the master rolling class seemed to be the perfect opportunity for me to kill two birds with one stone: finally see what's up with a High Minded Events event, and learn to roll a decent joint. The tickets were $45 before tax, which was more expensive than I wanted, but not expensive enough to put me off the price. Based off their social media posts, I knew they held consumption friendly events and so far public smoke friendly venues and events seem rare. To be fair, compared to a night out with drinks, the price was right. I bought my ticket and was raring to go.
Here is my short and sweet review on the High Minded Events: Master Rolling Class.
The Venue
The venue was located on Chicago's northside, in a relatively busy part of Roger's Park. For a Chicago northside neighborhood, the location was easy to get to, with plenty of parking around the area. The space was intimate and clean - a casual and friendly grown-up vibe. I could immediately tell I walked into a room that was designed with care. The decor was simple: cool tones of blue, grey and green, tasteful sleek artwork on the walls, and open shelving units displaying smoking devices and the like.
As far as an event is concerned what really stuck out to me was the attention to detail for the guest. There was a designated place to hang your coat and belongings, the bathroom was exceptionally clean, and small dishes of candies and chocolates in the front and back of house. My favorite part of the space was a three dimensional green leaf accent wall with a flat screen TV mounted in the center. A table was set up in front of the wall with refreshments laid out for us: an assortment of donuts and CBD infused drinks. Altogether, the atmosphere was comforting and the crowd was gentle. It was what I would want from an event like this and the execution was done well.
I was greeted by the class instructor, Tim, and introduced to the CEO, Phil, before the start of class. They were both courteous and warm. It was cool to shake hands with the CEO and to have him be a part of the event. After some brief research online, I'm still fuzzy on the details of what High Minded Events provides for an event like this. It's not clear whether or not they hosted this class or organized it. If I had to guess, this rolling class was considered one of their "community events" and is not something they normally offer with any consistency. Either way, they pride themselves on excellence and quality, and the level of care High Minded Events has as a company was reflected in the event overall.
The Class
I had a different expectation for the class than what was delivered. I thought I signed up for a "how to" joint rolling class, but it was more of a joint crafting class. When I found out we were decorating joints rather than rolling, I was more excited, but also a little more anxious. Although previous experience was not at all a requirement, I did get a little nervous having to put my amateur rolling skills to the test on the spot.
The instructor, Tim aka 'Token Time Tim', is a talented professional roller, and passionate artist. I was immediately inspired by his passion for what he does and blown away by avenues of creativity I didn't know existed. As with the space and execution, there was a noticeable depth of care from the instructor and it was contagious as the class was eager to start. We began (as a class) folding a tip in the shape of a marijuana leaf (see pictures below), and were left to design our rolling papers as we wanted. There were many different types of papers to choose from, and after Tim gave us some ideas and general tips, we were allowed to really dive into our individual creativity.
I really enjoyed the fellowship and the activity as a whole. It was good vibes from start to finish and through genuine conversation and openness I learned something new and exiting during this event, and got a chance to meet and hang out with nice people. These days, that is the breath of fresh air we can all use.
Overall Pros
The biggest pro of this event was the generosity and care put into it. Between the refreshments, consumption, and 8th of flower given to each guest for their joint, I really got the sense that someone cared that I came out and wanted to show me a good time. It had that small business je ne sais quoi that made me feel happy to be there to experience what High Minded Events is doing. They take great pride in the work they do, and there is a certain level of quality to expect from an event they are associated with.
I also liked the size of the event. I thought it met a good balance of enough people to make it interesting, but small enough for comfort. It was an art based class and we shared some supplies, but I never felt like I couldn't get enough instruction, or that I had to wait my turn for an unreasonable amount of time for anything I wanted to use (scissors, grinders, etc.)
Overall Cons
The pro of generosity bled into a con in this situation. High Minded Events was generous in every way, even in their hospitality. The event was open and casual, so no one was rushed along the paper decorating portion of the afternoon because the vibe simply went in that direction. However, if I had to pick one con it would be this open-ended timing of the event. I am from the sad class of people that has a tight schedule, and it's always ready to squeeze my neck at any moment. The event ran over the allotted time and I felt rushed toward the end (and the actual rolling part) of the class. It would have been nice to have a more organized setup where people who needed to leave on time would have space to move their project along while others who wanted to spend more time on decorating could stay longer and do so.
All in all, the Master Rolling Class was a fun and relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I am happy I got to experience it and I am looking forward to other happenings with High Minded Events in the future.
