Editor’s Note: This article was first published on July 31st, 2015 by CannaCure420. We share it now as a reminder of what community and culture-focused cannabis events should be. The 10th annual Great Canadian Glass Gathering (GCGG 2017) happens July 7-9th, 2017.
Friends kept asking if I’d be attending this year’s Great Canadian Glass Gathering (GCGG 2015). But I didn’t make my decision until two days before, when I bought a cheap tent and air mattress at Canadian Tire and immediately started packing.
Getting to GCGG 2015
The GCGG took place on beautiful private grounds outside of Birken, BC, about forty minutes past Whistler on Highway 99. I left Vancouver in the early afternoon and still arrived late afternoon.
The sky wasn’t really blue but it was still beautiful.
The first things I wanted to do after unpacking and setting up were to crack a beer and puff a joint, and that’s exactly what I did. LA Confidential from Three Happy Cats and a bottle of MGD really helped me enjoy my arrival.
Walking down from my camping spot, I made my way towards the glassblowing stations to see who was at the event, as well as to scope out some of the glass on display. The RedBeard Glass booth caught my eye first, which was appropriate since he’s the guy who puts on this entire event, and I spent some time looking over his stuff.
Redbeard’s not the only glassblower, of course! A small selection of pipes by Leash Glass.
Saturday Glass at GCGG 2015
I continued to browse through the stalls and stumbled upon a beautiful glass pendant: it seemed unique and I gave it a good stare but moved on. At the end of the day I couldn’t stop thinking about that specific pendant, though. I went to sleep thinking of it, woke up thinking of it the next morning, and finally made the decision to purchase it.
Once ready for the day, I headed to the glass blowing stations to try and find the artist. I went back and forth around the gathering before finding the right glassblower: Buck Lee Glass. I was pretty pumped to meet him and buy the piece; since I was thinking of it so much I already felt a connection with it.
A (waking up) dream come true.
I grabbed my new pendant for $50 and chased down RedBeard to borrow his Ti pen to get it signed. I didn’t want to forget Buck Lee Glass, being so intrigued by his work.
The rest of my day consisted of smoking loads of marijuana, drinking beer, socializing, and watching glassblowing in action. The massive flames used for glassblowing can be damaging to the human eye, and I was paying a lot of attention, so I was lent a pair of protective glasses. Seeing all the melting glass was so awesome and worth the risk.
Hot enough to damage the human eye? Oh yeah.
I met lots of glassblowers from all across the country and I enjoyed networking with fellow cannabis users that were also meeting the artists. This was really a true getaway for me. With few responsibilities, it was super relaxing and lots of fun.
I bought a beautiful glass eyeball pendant with phenomenal detail from GGirl’s Glass. No other glass eye pendants I’ve seen look like the ones she creates. Not only does she make fantastic glass art, GGirl is great because she also makes her work affordable. As an attendee with not much money I was grateful to be able to pick up one of her eyeball pendants for just $25.
Ever feel like you’re being watched?
I met a blower by the name of Matty Glass who sold me my first recycler. He has some nice work and the water funnels within his recyclers are impressive: mine produces a fully spiralling whirlpool. I tried the piece with water before purchase, of course. I recommend it: there was another, similar recycler I tried that didn’t have as good a water funnel as the one I chose.
Glass — both functional and beautiful.
Sunday Heat at GCGG 2015
The last day of the event was hot and muggy, with temperatures exceeding 40° Celsius, and all I was searching for were water and shade. Everyone was overheating, it was horrible. I managed to stay cool, and alive, by pouring massive amounts of cold, fresh water from the mountains over my head and arms. When smoking pot, extreme heat is more than unpleasant but I shouldn’t complain since I’m from Winnipeg.
Even in extreme heat, some people still want to watch the world burn.
The Great Canadian Glass Gathering is a great event to check out if you’re into pot smoking, socializing, and glassblowing. The people it brings together are all amazing folks. The regulars enjoy being there together, loving the event, and treating it as a tradition. This is a very pleasant place, I’ll try my best to make it back next year.
Big thanks to RedBeard and host Mike Milner!
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