Ohio weed festival's second year described as mismanaged, 'Walking Dead' episode

by WKRC

August 18, 2025

WAVERLY, Ohio (WKRC) - Organizers of an Ohio marijuana festival's second year are facing criticism by some vendors after they say the event was mismanaged.

According to WCMH, hundreds of cannabis enthusiasts traveled to the riverbank in Waverly, Ohio to attend the second annual Stargazer Cannabis Festival in July, with some walking away feeling frustrated by alleged mismanagement and hardship.

“If they weren’t playing music, it would have looked like an episode of ‘The Walking Dead,'” Hannah Anderson, an artist and vendor who attended the event, said when speaking to the station.

Several vendors spoke to reporters with WCHM days after the wrap up of Stargazer Festival, telling the outlet that they had multiple concerns during the event, including safety, infrastructural and security personnel concerns.

The first Stargazer Festival was held in Pomeroy, Ohio, near Hocking Hills, in 2024 after the State of Ohio legalized recreational cannabis use for adults.

• Weather-related conditions

WCMH reported that the festival was moved to the banks of the Scioto River for its second year so that the event would had additional space due to a high turnout in the previous year.

Stargazer Festival organizer Chad Thompson told reporters with WCMH that he confirmed the festival would be able to take place in Waverly on July 19, which was just days before vendors arrived at the site.

Due to heavy rainfall before the event, however, many areas were left partially flooded. Thompson told WCMH that the flooding forced his team to adapt the venue, which ultimately left the festival with significantly less space to work with. He added that organizers had planned for vendors to set up near the site's electrical tower for convenient access to power, but said the flooding forced them to relocate.

• Venue infrastructure issues

Jennifer Carlson, a food truck owner, told WCMH's reporters that some vendors paid an additional $50 to have access to electricity at the site, and said the lack of power resulted in financial losses for her business. Carlson alleged that there was not enough power for the 100 vendors operating at the festival, and said multiple vendors purchased their own generators.

Vendors were able to begin setting up at the site beginning on July 23, but Thompson told WCMH that the scope of the issue was not clear until the festival began on July 25.

When speaking to the station, Thompson said the festival helped cover the costs for vendors who purchased generators, and said nearly all the vendors at the site had power by July 27.

Carlson told WCMH that the issues resulted in several hundreds of dollars in lost inventory due to food that spoiled, adding that she paid $800 for a vending fee and had to pay an employee that she brought in to assist her.

According to WCMH's report, multiple other vendors reported losing several thousand dollars.

Thompson told the outlet that the issues also cost him a significant amount of money, and even indicated that the festival's second year was unable to turn a profit.

Thompson said the logistic plans and grounds were approved by Pike County, adding that the site was insured, and that he doubled the insurance on July 25, per WCMH.

He told the outlet that he was aware some of the vendors had concerns after the festival, and said he offered those businesses refunds or credits toward next year's event.

Carlson said although she remained at the festival the entire time, many vendors left the site early, according to the station. Anderson told WCMH that she decided to leave the same day she arrived, noting that she was astonished by Stargazer's minimal facilities and minimal attention to detail.

• Allegations of unsafe conditions and lax security

Some vendors speaking to WCMH added that they felt "completely unsafe" during the event, and made allegations of lax security and other safety-related concerns.

One of the vendors shared images that reportedly show metal shards along a beach that was used for several festival activities.

Some vendors also accused Stargazer of hiring a security team that did not take important matters seriously enough.

When speaking to WCMH, Carlson alleged that while she was receiving help with getting her food truck out of the mud one night, she overheard a call come through from a young girl who was concerned about a friend having a bad experience with drugs. Carlson alleged that a security team member hung up on the girl and turned their music back up, per the outlet.

She told WCMH's reporters that she asked to be taken to the girl herself, but said her request was rejected.

Thompson told WCMH that he was "unaware" of the safety issues, and said Stargazer had security around the clock, adding that the head of security was former law enforcement officer who ran a cannabis safety company.

When speaking on Carlson's allegations, Thompson said he had radio access through the event and didn't hear anything about it, adding, "That sounds completely made up."

Anderson told WCMH that she was particularly concerned after allegedly seeing a baby and children at Stargazer. Thompson told the outlet that he made the festival a "21 and up" event after he received complaints when organizers brought their children.

According to the report, several vendors reported seeing children at Stargazer Festival, although Thompson said he wasn't aware of any being present.

“When people start saying untruths online, at some point, it feels a little bit like a witch hunt,” Thompson told WCMH.

• Illicit drug use

Some vendors speaking to WCMH said they felt unsafe due to alleged illicit drug use that occurred at the festival. When speaking on the matter with WCMH, Thompson said the festival sold and offered cannabis, but did not offer drugs or alcohol.

“We had 1,500 people there. I would imagine there might have been some other drugs, perhaps, but I’m not aware of them, I didn’t see them, I didn’t do them,” Thompson told reporters with WCMH. “If we had seen any drug use, we’re gonna completely stop that immediately.”

• Conclusion

Carlson told WCMH that she attended her first marijuana festival in April, and said she felt there was a vast difference in safety between that festival and Stargazer.

“I felt betrayal, a lot of betrayal, because the more that you looked around, you could see that they knew all these things were issues, and just let us all come anyway,” Carlson told WCMH.

Although none of the vendors WCMH spoke to said they would return for another Stargazer Festival, Thompson said he remains undeterred. He said a majority of vendors who attended Stargazer Festival were pleased and planned to return.

Thompson said he was proud of the hard work his team put into the festival, adding that he plans to bring the event back to Waverly next summer, per the outlet.