Doobie Dabbler celebrates all things cannabis in Minnesota

SHAKOPEE, Minn. — Sever’s near Shakopee is known for their corn maze and fall festivals, but this weekend they’ll be host to a different kind of festival.
The Doobie Dabbler starts Friday and goes through Saturday. It involves dozens of THC and cannabis vendors from across the country.
“Fall is upon us, so it really feels very Minnesota this time of year,” said Mitch Michaelson of Sever’s.
That means many of the usual fall traditions will be happening at Sever’s. But for the next two days, the focus won’t be on corn, it’ll be on cannabis.
“These are beautiful grounds and it’s really a perfect location for an event like this,” said Michaelson. “With recreational cannabis being legalized in Minnesota, these types of events are going to be happening.”
The festival is called the Doobie Dabbler. Over 100 local and national exhibitors will be promoting art, education and plenty of THC and cannabis products, like drinks and edibles.
But there will also be beer, wine, food trucks, mini golf and even All-Star wrestling.
“It’s going to fun, it’s going to be whacky, it’s going to be weird, and it’s going to have something to do at every corner of the event site,” said Sam Steen.
Steen is one of the event coordinators. He says there is a bit of a learning curve for THC vendors when it comes to festivals like this.
“This has been a colossal under-taking, the team involved and all the partners have done a phenomenal job. I’m really excited. This is like Super Bowl Sunday for us,” said Steen.
And he believes a big part of the Doobie Dabbler will be focused on education. Teaching people about this relatively new industry and what it will look like going forward.
“Festivals themselves are a really good place to build a culture. Because you get all of these people who are involved in a certain industry, together,” said Steen.
The Doobie Dabbler runs from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday at Sever’s. And then it will go from noon to 9:30 on Saturday. There will also be local bands and a Motocross event on site.
Recreational marijuana became legal to use in Minnesota last year. Four tribal-run dispensaries are now open in the state, but it won’t be legal to open dispensaries elsewhere until next year.  
The Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management said last month that more than 1,800 applications have been filed for business license pre-approval via a lottery system. The majority of those applicants are from outside the state.