Lewis County Weekender April 18, 2019 by Lafromboise Communications, Inc.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

E S I D A PAR NS E P O GLASS RALIA T N E C IN 4

IS B A N N A C R OU Y T E NS G O I T S QUE ED R E W ANS age 7 —P

age P —

THE 4/20 ISSUE! ROR R O H E H T

TAKE A SEAT ON THE KUSH COUCH — Page 12

CELEBRATE 4/20 WITH COMEDY (PAGE 6), A PARTY AT MCFILERS (PAGE 10) OR CHEECH & CHONG (PAGE 14)

2 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

HELL’S BELLES

tap into the scene

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 20

Star Rewards Center. Tickets online vary from $20 to $50. Tickets also The 23rd Annual Olympic Club available via phone at 800.720.1788. Brewfest runs from 5-11 p.m. Friday and 1-11 p.m. Saturday. Cost is $25 Climb aboard the Steam Train for brewfest glass and 10 tokens. Eggspress for a leisurely train ride All ages are welcome, but you must while the “Easter Bunny” hides the be 21 to drink and be in the theater. eggs. Upon the return of the train, Sample over 40 handcrafted beers children (12 years and under) will go and ciders from McMenamins and into the egg field to gather candyguests from the Pacific Northwest, filled Easter Eggs. Activities will vary and let the good times roll right into for age groups 3 and under, 4 through Saturday night. The Hillwilliams play 7, and 8 through 12. Bring your own Bluegrass 6-8 p.m. followed by the baskets and enjoy the fun, rain or folk funk grass gypsy roots band The shine. General admission reserved Van Rontens from 9-11 p.m. seating. Free parking. All ages over 3 are $15. The train leaves every half hour from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. SATURDAY, APRIL 20 The Lucky Eagle Casino near Rochester presents Australia’s 2019 Spring Fling is from noon to Thunder From Down Under, a 2 p.m. in downtown Chehalis. Hop popular all-male revue, straight from from business to business in to hunt Las Vegas. Doors open at 7 p.m., the for Easter eggs. Get your picture show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start taken with the Easter Bunny at the at $15 for Star Players at the Lucky Lewis County Historical Museum.

THE 23RD ANNUAL OLYMPIC CLUB BREWFEST

Flood Valley Brewery in Chehalis presents Joke Masters Comedy: A 4/20 Comedy Show, 8-9:30 p.m. Come grab a great seat, a cold drink and some delicious food by 7 p.m. for optimum seating choices. The headliner is Robert Moore, featuring Joseph Gilleran and hosted by Lucy Tollefson. Tickets are $15 online, $20 at the door. Flood Valley is located at 289 NW Chehalis Ave.

Highway 507 between Grand Mound and Tenino. Gates open at 4:45 p.m. Racing is every Saturday from April through September. Info: southsoundspeedway.com.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

The Lucky Eagle Casino presents Hell’s Belles, a premier all-female AC/DC cover band. Doors open at 7 p.m., the show start at 8 p.m. The concert is free and attendants 710 Beans and Bongs Presents must be 21 or older. Venue space is Cheech and Chong’s “Up in available first come, first served. Smoke,” doors open at 6 p.m. and show starts at 7:10 pm. at the FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, Chehalis Theater. Tickets available APRIL 26, 27 at the theater and at the door of Country Chicks Spring Market at the the event. Food and drinks will be Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, available and there will be a table of runs from 10-6 p.m. on Friday and glass products for sale. 10-4 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are South Sound Speedway revs up with Super 4s taking on the track starting at 6:30 p.m. South Sound Speedway is located at 3730 183rd Ave. SW near Rochester, just off

available at the door, $6 admission or $5 with a canned food donation for local food banks. It’s a two-day event for people to shop vintage, SEE PAGE 3.....................................

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 3

repurposed, upcycled and farmhouse items from over 140 vendors. Food, coffee and music will be onsite. Parking is free. Direct vendor inquiries to countrychicksllc@gmail. com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

p.m. and first bout starts at 6 p.m. with Overbeaters Anonymous vs. Antique RollShow. Second bout at 7 p.m. with Rainy City vs. Queer Squad Washington. Tickets available online, $12 pre-sale and $15 at the door. All ages are welcome, kids 10 and under can attend for free. There will be a beer garden for 21 and older with I.D. For a front row seat, bring your own chair. There will also be an after party, location is yet to be determined. The Centralia Rollerdome is located at 216 W Maple St.

Return of the Shimmy at the Chehalis Theater, is a 21+ event. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $20 online pre-sale or $25 at the door. Show will be hosted by The Illustrious Ms. Hattie Hotpants with Summit to Swamp Obstacle Mud special guest Carson St. Clair and Run in Randle, check-in starts at 7 Miss Sugar Kane and performances a.m. and races start at 8 a.m. with the by Hub City Shimmy. men’s jackpot race for cash and 8:20 a.m. for the women’s jackpot race Lewis County AAUW presents for cash. Entry into the jackpot races LUNAFEST 2019, begins at 1 p.m. in is $10 in addition to registration fee. Washington Hall at Centralia College. From 9-4 p.m., the course will be Tickets are $20 an can be purchased open for all participants. Register at local businesses or online at at summittoswap.com, lunafest.org. LUNAFEST provides online films by, for and about women to prices vary by age and all ages are people all over the country. There welcome. Spectators can spectate will be raffle baskets, food and for free. This year’s course features drinks available. Proceeds will go over 30 natural and manmade to the Human Response Network obstacles, with an awards ceremony and AAUW scholarships. Address of and live music in the evening. The event is 600 Centralia College Blvd. course is located at 156 Peters Rd. Randle, WA 98377 in the Big Bottom Centralia, WA. Valley in the foothills of Mt. Adams Rainy City Roller Dolls Double about halfway between Seattle, Header, will be at the Centralia WA, Portland, OR, and Yakima, WA Rollerdome. Doors open at 5:30 on Hwy 12.

PLAN YOUR FUNCTION AT THE JUNCTION

DAILY HAPPY HOUR

Upcoming Issues

MAR

7th

Spring Car Cleanup

e in We’ve e office for it th g n i k 21st Spring into‘rthe e looOutdoors u if yo 14th St. Patrick’sgoDay t som

28th April Fool’s Day

4th

APR

fice Gone Fishing e got some in the of We’v

11th PizzaLast Week’s News 18th 4/20

That’s this

issue! Yay!

25th Golfing Season

MAY

2th

Cinco De Mayo

9th

Comedy

16th Gaming 23th Memorial Day

TRIVIA

30th Summer Festival Preview

LIVE MUSIC 21000 Old HWY 99 SW 360-273-7586

CH595911rk.cg

GREAT FOOD

To advertise, contact Ron Kostick rkostick@chronline.com • 360.807.8212 321 N. Pearl St., Centralia, WA 98531

CH594202tb.dj

FROM PAGE 2. . ...........................

4 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

By Lydia Denney

LDENNEY@CHRONLINE.COM

With the demand for smoking accessories increasing and an interest in niche retail, Matt Skinner decided to open a glass shop that sells more than just an average bong. Skinner opened Paradise Glass the first week of March in hopes of providing the best selection, service and education. “It’s more of a lifestyle store, so when (the store) is at its full potential, you’ll be able to come in here and buy something that’s not glass-related, but lifestyle-related,” Skinner said. T h e s t o re o f f e r s l o c a l a n d national glass products, socks, buttons, greeting cards and every flavor of Jones Soda that exists. Skinner said he wanted to create a vibrant environment

“We’re open early for waking and baking and then we’re open late for your convenience.” Matt Skinner,

Owner, Paradise Glass

that provides items to support the lifestyles of his customers. The location of the store being next to Dutch Bros. Coffee also goes along with the morning caffeine, wake and bake routine, Skinner said. “There’s definitely a culture that comes along with the store, so we’re tapping into the culture and lifestyle with the gifty items,” Skinner said. “You can come in here and get absorbed into the energy and leave with something.” One of the unique aspects of Paradise Glass is the “builda-bar,” where people can bring in their glass pieces and try new accessories to see what they like best or refit a piece that broke, Jared Wenzelburger / jwenzelburger@chronline.com Skinner said. Customers can also Manager, Natasha Martin, left, and Owner, Matt Skinner, right, talk about Paradise Glass create custom builds using the Thursday morning in their shop. accessories at Paradise Glass, where they can sit down with an options or get advice on products. employee and discuss the best General manager Natasha aradise lass Martin said she enjoys sitting 108 East Bridge St. down with people to share her Centralia, WA knowledge of the industry and www.facebook.com/ learn new things from customers. pg/paradiseglass420/ She said the legalization of posts/?ref=page_internal marijuana in Washington brought out a new group of people who find marijuana use acceptable, as well as older customers who are products is starting to get out there ... People really like that I can sit looking for more information. “I’m huge on customer service down with them, help them fit and education,” Martin said. “Not different things and give them that it’s a newer industry, but the different alternatives for products.” availability of all these different The most popular items at Paradise Glass are the accessories

Left: Owner Matt Skinner talks about CBD joints sold at Paradise Glass Thursday morning in his shop.

SEE PAGE 5.....................................

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 5

FROM PAGE 4............................

and silicone products, specifically a hammerhead shark silicone pipe, Martin said. Skinner thinks the silicone is popular due to all the outdoor activities in Lewis County, where if someone drops a silicone piece, it won’t break. Either way, customers like the idea that they can sit down with an employee in a comfortable environment, Martin said. “We offer a number of different lifestyle choices in a judgementfree zone,” Martin said. “Adding the education aspect into it, people come in and inquire about these newer products and we have staff available that can really

Jared Wenzelburger / jwenzelburger@chronline.com

Manager, Natasha Martin holds up one of many glass skull bongs sold at Paradise Glass Thursday morning.

help them with that.” Another perk for loyal customers are the Paradise Glass “swag cards.” After four punches on a swag card, a customer gets 20 percent off any item in the store. (Get it? 4/20!) When someone fills out four cards, they get a swag bag filled with vendor products and promotional items. Paradise Glass also offers veteran discounts. The store is open 15 hours a day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., every day but Sunday to increase their availability. Skinner said the store is usually busy in the morning when everyone is starting their day. “Being open 15 hours a day isn’t the easiest thing in the world,” Skinner said. “We’re open early for waking and baking and then we’re open late for your convenience.” The staff at Paradise Glass plan to support a culture of awareness of the environment and community by doing park cleanups for anyone to participate, Skinner said. “As a company, we have a really diverse group of people, kind of a family atmosphere amongst us,” Skinner said. “What we’re looking at doing is creating a network within the green community and take an active role in the community.”

CBD American Shaman is the highest quality full spectrum cannibidiol on the market.

Our Products Include: • Body Lotion

• Feline Tincture

• Canine Tincture

• Lip Revitalizer

• Capsules

• Tincture

• Edibles

• Topical Serum

• Equine Elixir

• Under-Eye Serum

• Equine Ointment • VG Cloud Tincture • Face Cream

• Water Soluble

CBD Flower Coming Soon! 1339 NW Louisiana Ave., Chehalis WA www.cbdamericanshaman.com An aquatic themed bong is seen on display Thursday morning in Paradise Glass.

CH595945rk.cg

360-748-3515

6 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

Flood Valley to Host 4/20 Comedy Show Presented by Joke Masters By Lydia Denney

LDENNEY@CHRONLINE.COM

CH596891bw.do

Flood Valley Brewing in Chehalis plans to make people giggle on 4/20 with a comedy night presented by Joke Masters. The show will be hosted by Lucy Tollefson, featuring Joseph Gilleran and headliner Robert Moore. Robert Moore, also known as “Ca$h,” has been in the comedy game for more than five years.

He is originally from Dallas, Texas but moved to Washington in 2003 where he started doing stand-up at the Comedy Underground in Seattle. After watching his friend participate in open mics, Moore wanted to try it himself. “My style is very energetic,” Moore said. “If I had to put a label on it, I’d say it’s more Kevin Hart type style because I talk about my family.” The name “Ca$h” is something

May 17 & 18, 2019 Starts at 6PM Southwest Washington Fairgrounds www.relayforlife.org/LewisCountyWA Call Josh at 360-388-6817 or Michelle at 360-520-6115 for more information Join us for food and fun as we Celebrate, Remember, and Fight Back!

Courtesy Photo

Robert Moore has an energetic style of comedy.

he’s known for saying when something good is happening in his life. When the name caught on and people started calling him “Cash,” it became his stage name. Moore has performed in many different places including Seattle, Canada, Texas and Las Saturday, April 20 Vegas, but this will be his first time 8-9:30 p.m. performing in Chehalis. “I’m excited to perform in a Flood Valley Brewing new city,” Moore said. “I just love Craft Taphouse being able to go somewhere new and show what I can do. Once 289 NW Chehalis Ave I get the microphone, I just want Chehalis, WA 98532 everybody to have a great time.” www.facebook.com/ Tickets for the comedy show are events/794775930909187/ $15 online and $20 at the door. The show starts at 8 p.m., but doors will open at 7 p.m. for those who want prepared to laugh because we’re the best seats in the house. going to have a great time,” “I want everybody to come Moore said.

JOKE MASTERS PRESENTS: A 4/20 COMEDY SHOW

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 7

By Lydia Denney

LDENNEY@CHRONLINE.COM

Marijuana, hemp, CBD, cannabis — What’s the difference? Since marijuana was legalized in Washington in 2012, more people are beginning to learn about the taboo topic that is weed. The Weekender visited glass shops, marijuana retailers and CBD stores to find out what questions are being asked the most about these green products. Paradise Glass in Centralia sells CBD, hemp-derived products that have less than 2 percent THC level. Natasha Martin, general manager at Paradise Glass, said the question she gets asked the most is: “Can I use a CBD product and still pass a drug test?” “With any CBD product, you’re going to have trace amounts of THC with it as well,” Martin said. “We never recommend a CBD product to

SEE PAGE 8..................................... Lydia Denney / ldenney@chronline.com

Left: Cassandra Delp explains the artwork on a bong sold at Smokin Js.

CH595899rk.cg

8 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

FROM PAGE 7. . ...........................

Paradise Glass:

somebody who is looking at a drug test because you’re still going to fail your test.” People also ask Martin about public smoking, which is illegal. While some people may know it is illegal to consume marijuana in public, Martin said many people are not aware that it’s actually illegal to buy a joint and share it with someone else, even if the person is of age. “The sharing thing comes with the culture,” owner Matt Skinner said. “The fact that it’s not technically okay is kind of an oddity.” Smokin Js in Centralia also sells CBD products and glass. Employee Cassandra Delp said she thinks there is still a stigma around CBD because people think that it will have an immediate effect, when really a person using CBD needs to use it for an extended period of time to see results. “(Customers) think (CBD and weed) go hand-in-hand, which they do, but when you buy it from a head shop like us, we can’t carry anything with more than .02 or .03 THC, so we don’t

108 East Bridge St. Centralia, WA 98531 www.facebook.com/ pg/paradiseglass420/ posts/?ref=page_internal

Smokin Js: Lydia Denney / ldenney@chronline.com

CBD honey sold at CBD American Shaman in Chehalis.

carry anything that has THC in it,” Delp said. There are a lot of different options for CBD use including products you can eat or products you can rub on your body, Delp said. Because Smokin Js sells glass, Delp said customers often assume they also sell marijuana, but only state-licensed retail stores can sell marijuana products. “People think we’re a weed shop, but we’re like ‘no, we’re just the supplies to get you there and then you have to go to another location to

Presents

Cheech & Chong Up in Smoke! The Chehalis Theatre 558 N Market Boulevard, Chehalis (360) 557-3946 Saturday 4/20 at 7:10 pm. Doors open at 6pm Pre-Sale tickets available for purchase at Beans & Bongs or The Chehalis Theatre. CH595914rk.cg

get the actual product,’” Delp said. Shanna Hoyt-Siler, owner of CBD American Shaman in Chehalis, said the most common question she gets about CBD is, “Will it get me high?” The answer is no, because there isn’t enough THC to get you high, HoytSiler said. “A lot of people come here because they want help with sleep,” Hoyt-Siler said. “People that use the THC products get high anxiety, they get paranoia, they have trouble sleeping when using them. So this stuff, because of the low THC, doesn’t give any of those feelings, it helps with it.” CBD American Shaman also sells products for pets including hemp oil for cats and dogs and CBD dog treats. Centralia marijuana retailer Uncle Ando’s Wurld of Weed gets a variety of questions from customers, but the most popular questions revolve around CBD, said employee Jill Guzman. A lot of customers want to know what they can do for pain relief, Guzman said. Other questions involving marijuana use that Guzman has been asked include if someone can smoke and drive and if they can smoke in public. (It’s a no for both). “Open packages is a problem,” Guzman said. “You’re not allowed to have any open packages in any bars or public places.” Other important laws to know about marijuana use include: • You must be 21 years or older to purchase and possess marijuana • It is illegal to drive under the influence of marijuana with more than 5 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood

610 W Main St. Centralia, WA 98531 smokinjs.com/

CBD American Shaman: 1339 NW Louisiana Ave. Chehalis, WA 98532 cbdamericanshaman.com/

Uncle Ando’s Wurld of Weed: 1905 Johnson Road Centralia, WA 98531 www.facebook.com/ wurldofweedcentralia/

Store dog Kodiak greets customers at Uncle Ando’s Wurld of Weed in Centralia.

• You cannot take marijuana outside of Washington For more infor mation, visit the Wa s h i n g t o n S t a t e L i q u o r a n d Cannabis Board website at cb.wa. gov/mj-education/know-the-law.

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 9

Tap into th e scene FOOD • DRINKS • CANNABIS • Bars • RestaurantS • Concerts • Shows • Events

CH591228tb.dj

S U K C E H ! C E N I L N O T U O entertainment gy ed d an w ne a is R DE THE WEEKEN Chronicle every publication put out by The on Lewis County’s arts s se cu fo b ta is Th . ay sd ur Th on anything from fo in d an s ea id st be e th ith scene w usic. niche restaurants to live m eekender.com

ched a e r 0 0 19,0 in printek! e every w

w Visit online at lewiscounty

to book your Ad Call or Email Ron Kostick today or add events to the schdeule.

nline.com ro ch k@ tic os rk or 12 82 780 ) (360

10 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

4/20 Party Becomes Joint Effort

4/20 Party

Saturday, April 20 at 9 p.m. McFiler’s 543 NW Pacific Ave. Chehalis, WA 98532

Special Event Features Themed Food, Drinks By Lydia Denney

LDENNEY@CHRONLINE.COM

With the opening of Paradise Glass, owner Matt Skinner wanted to do something to celebrate 4/20 and bring people together. Skinner worked with McFiler’s owner Tim Filer to organize a 4/20 party, which has evolved into a networking event involving other businesses in the area. “You can’t open up a smoking bar, so the next logical thing is a spot that has great food and beverage and just a place to get together and mingle,” Skinner said. “4/20 is the most logical time to do that.” The party is sponsored by Uncle Ando’s Wurld of Weed and Budwiz, a social network platform that connects retailers with customers. At the party, there will be food, drinks and a raffle. The raffle items will be

Courtesy Photo

A flyer for the 4/20 party at McFiler’s.

glass products from Paradise Glass as well as vendor swag, Skinner said. Free raffle tickets are available at McFiler’s Paradise Glass and Uncle Ando’s.

Grand Mound Centralia Great stays, great mornings!

CH596856rk.cg

6223 197th Way SW - Rochester, WA 98579 - (360) 858-5757 - www.marriott.com/olmro

The team at McFiler’s is creating a 4/20-themed food menu and drink list for the special event, owner Tim Filer said. Some of the drink options include the “Buddy Mary” and the “Manhattan Munchies.” When Skinner came to Filer to talk about organizing a 4/20 party, Filer thought it was a great idea. Filer said he wants to continue promoting events with a community mindset, where the event brings together people and businesses in the community. “There’s a huge marijuana culture in Lewis County,” Filer said. “We want to create an environment for people to come together.” He also thinks events like the 4/20 party are good economically because they bring in young adults

Lydia Denney / ldenney@chronline.com

A 420-themed drink list for the 4/20 party at McFiler’s.

to downtown Chehalis, instead of forcing people to drive to another city for entertainment. During the party, there will also be live music provided by DJ That Guy and a small area for vendors to sell products like glass pieces (sorry, no weed). For more infor mation, visit the Paradise Glass Facebook page.

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 11

Recipe From Natasha Martin (Yields one pound) Note: Potency varies depending on the strength of the cannabis. A lot of cannabis butter recipes in the past have called for seeds and stems, but if you want high quality butter, you must first start with high quality cannabis.

Ingredients: -1 pound of unsalted butter -28 grams of cannabis (processed) You Will Need: -Ingredients -Medium sized crockpot — I dedicate one crockpot in the house for cannabis butter. It is hard to get the cannabis smell out once it’s used for this.

-Cheese cloth or unused women’s- and cover. Keep on low for 12 hours. sized pantyhose (cut one leg off, stuff The cannabis will essentially steep in butter. with cannabis and tie in knot) When 12 hours is up, you will need to take the cannabis Directions: bundle out. I use gloves and Process the marijuana by break- squeeze the excess butter ing up the cannabis and removing out of the bundle once it stems. is cool enough to touch. Grind the cannabis with a grindTurn off the crockpot er. Removing the seeds and stems and split into ½ cup allows for a cleaner product in the portions and cover and end. freeze overnight. After grinding the cannabis, turn the crockpot to low and add butter. Once you have your I cut the butter to allow for quicker cannabis butter, it can be substituted for butter in any melting. Wrap the cannabis in cheese cloth recipe. For a less potent recor pantyhose. Make sure your knots ipe, only substitute half the butter. For example, if a recipe calls for are secure! Once butter is melted, add the 1 cup of butter, do ½ cup of regular bundled cannabis to the crockpot butter and ½ cup cannabis butter.

360-736-3900 • CENTRALIAOUTLETS.COM • I-5 EXIT 82 • BOTH SIDES • CENTRALIA

have a sale, it’s

really a sale!

CH596410bw.cg

PEN EASTER PENEASTER 11AM TO 5PM

When the Outlets

12 • LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019

YouTube Channel Turns One, Host Gets Blunt About Weed

By Lydia Denney

LDENNEY@CHRONLINE.COM

People come up with some interesting ideas when they’re high, but how many actually follow through? A year ago, Chehalis resident Derek (2.0) Hemenway and his friend decided to start a YouTube channel and call it The Kush Couch. “Me and my buddy were just sitting around one day getting high,” Hemenway said. “We were like, ‘You know, we’re

Lydia Denney / ldenney@chronline.com

Derek (2.0) Hemenway is the creator and director of The Kush Couch.

pretty funny, we should make a podcast or something.” After his friend moved away for work, he decided to keep the YouTube channel going by producing his own videos. He began lear ning videography and editing techniques through YouTube videos, asking his friends questions along the way. All of his video production knowledge is self-taught. The Kush Couch video topics usually come from questions his friends ask him about pot, Hemenway said. The video

themes range from coverage of cannabis-related events to instructional videos like how to roll a cross joint. Some of his videos have gained more popularity than others, including “How to clean a glass pipe” and “Hempfest 2018,” which both have over a thousand views. “The community is huge, it’s ridiculous,” Hemenway said. “I now have friends over in Seattle that I never had before just from doing The Kush Couch. Everyone loves me, it’s awesome.” Since starting his channel,

The Kush Couch Derek (2.0) Hemenway http://thekushcouch.life/ Hemenway continues to learn more about the marijuana industry through interviews and research. Hemenway said he also plans to incorporate music and art into the videos by working together with other small SEE PAGE 13....................................

LEWIS COUNTY WEEKENDER • The Chronicle, Centralia/Chehalis, WA. Thursday, April 18, 2019 • 13

FROM PAGE 12. . ..........................

businesses in the area. Over time, the culture around marijuana and how society views people who use cannabis products has changed, especially for those who use medical marijuana, Hemenway said. “What I have experienced, (people) started out hiding it from everybody because, ‘marijuana is bad,’” Hemenway said. “Now that it’s legal, it’s everywhere… It’s a lot more laid back now.” Currently Hemenway is working on a video about the opening of Uncle Ando’s Wurld of Weed, which shows Hemenway at the event and interviews with the various vendors. He also has a local band lined up for a future video and was invited to attend “Blunt the River,” where people get high and float the Yakima

River. While other YouTube channels have been cut off for promoting cannabis products, Hemenway said so far he hasn’t had any issues. If there is any smoking in his videos, he also makes sure to put an age restriction for 18 years and older. “I’m not selling anything and I’m not sponsored by any brands,” Hemenway said. “I’m just doing this all for free and for fun.” In the future, Hemenway wants to continue making videos for The Kush Couch as well as more educational videos about marijuana. Overall, he said he just wants to have fun with his videos for The Kush Couch channel. “That’s the main thing,” Hemenway said. “If you’re not going to have fun with it, then Derek (2.0) Hemenway is the creator of The Kush Couch. what’s the point?”

Lydia Denney / ldenney@chronline.com

April 26–27, 2019