TOKIN FEMALE

26

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015

TAYLOR
BLAKE
THE EMERALD CUP, the worlds premier outdoor organic
harvest celebration and cannabis competition, emerged out
of the rural farming community in Mendocino County, spearheaded by Tim Blake, his family and friends. They moved from
a hippy lifestyle in Santa Cruz to the Mendo hills and created
Area 101, a cultural center for the cannabis community in Laytonville California, the heart of the Emerald Triangle. Growers
of the region met annually for a decade until they reached
maturity, then blossomed into the 11th annual Emerald Cup at
the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds, drawing 12,500 marijuana freedom supporters, led by farmers.
The Mendocino County cannabis majority are treated like
borderline outlaws, despite having doctors approvals. They
comprise small family gardens and cooperative farms, celebrating the harvesting of the medicine, sharing seeds, strains,
organic tips and prosecution hardships. They are the heart and
soul of country growers, some living in the shadows of prohibition, others coming out to embrace the future.
Marijuana cultivation has thrived in the shadows, proving itself sustainable to large numbers of people over several
decades. It is widely believed to be two thirds of the countys
economic base and a budding voter bloc.
After 77 years of prohibition, a sense of community
and family unity has grown up out of necessity. Tim and
Taylor Blake defied the odds by forming a formidable
father-daughter cannabis production team to take on the
mushrooming challenge. In the most authentic sense, The
Emerald Cup 2014 is a family affair.

WO R D S

PEBBLES
TRIPPET

TAYLOR, HOWD IT GO -- YOUR FIRST

TIME CO-PRODUCING THE EMERALD
CUP, THE WORLDS ONLY OUTDOOR
ORGANIC CANNABIS COMPETITION,
HOSTING 12,500 PEOPLE WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED 700 FLOWER ENTRIES.
NO SMALL FEAT!
This years event blew us away! It was
much bigger than we even hoped for
so it was amazingly gratifying, knowing
how much hard work went into planning
it and to see so many people enjoying
themselves there.
There are so many aspects to our
show--organizing the contests, speaker
panels, vendors, music acts--that it can
become extremely overwhelming. But
all of the stress was completely worth it
and I cant wait to start working on this
years event.
WAS IT A FAMILY THING--YOU AND
TIM KNOWING EACH OTHER WELL-THAT MADE IT JELL?
Its an interesting thing to work with your
family, let alone your dad. We definitely
know each other very well and trust each
other unconditionally. Sometimes we
know each other a little too well which
leads to amusing little arguments. At the
end of the day, though, I am honored to
work with Tim and run The Emerald Cup
as part of Team Blake.

In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future. ALEX HALEY

TOKIN FEMALE: TAYLOR BLAKE

of which we didnt think we would manage to overcome. One of the first hurdles
was the Lodge Lightening Complex Fire
in August that happened right behind
our family property and threatened our
whole community. It was a very stressful
few weeks, sitting helplessly waiting to
hear if your land and livelihood would be
consumed by the fire.
When the fire was finally put out,
it gave us all even more drive to succeed this year because we had a new
appreciation for the opportunity. It
takes a lot to run an event of this size,
while also running our own outdoor
cannabis farm and having to deal with
the technical struggles of being so
remote in the mountains.

Taylor and Tim onstage at 2013 Emerald Cup

DID GROWING UP AS THE DAUGHTER

OF TIM BLAKE, FOUNDER OF THE EMERALD CUP, PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR
ROLE AS ASSOCIATE PRODUCER?
It definitely prepared me for the workload. I have worked on the past seven
Emerald Cups, so Ive seen the progression of the planning involved. Seeing first
hand the work it took for the success
of our first year at the Sonoma County
Fairgrounds really helped. Also seeing
how much my dad has put into it the
past eleven years--mentally, financially,
physically--has given me such a respect
for this event. Its given me an attitude
and positive pressure to perform, no
matter what.
This event is Tims legacy, so I have
set a high standard for myself to uphold
that level of dedication. Seeing what he
has turned The Emerald Cup into has
inspired me in my own life. It has taught
me to never give up on my dreams.
WHAT INSIGHTS HAVE YOU GLEANED
FROM THIS EXPERIENCE?
My greatest insights are the power of
an idea, having a strong team of people
around you and working with everything you have in you to complete your
goals. Our whole team had the idea

28

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015

that we were
going to set up
a professional
looking cannabis
grower community driven event,
with organic
food, music and
education. We
worked all year to
pull that together.
Taylor, age 2, with older sisters and father Tim in Santa Cruz
As I walked
through the event
and saw all the people and experiences
The past 11 years, weve run The
being had, it was extremely humbling.
Emerald Cup out of my dads home just
We just wanted to bring the community
north of Laytonville on his home phone
together and celebrate the hard work of
line with satellite internet and very little
outdoor cannabis farmers. So it was reworking cell phone reception. With how
ally amazing to see the amount of people
much the event has grown, weve dewho supported that same idea. We had
cided to change that this year to improve
a really hard working team this year;
our efficiency and communication. It was
without them the event wouldnt have
my first year in this position so I feel the
been possible.
great amount I learned in just one year
This year was a huge learning curve
will greatly help us improve in the future.
for me. I am excited to continue growing
in my career, making the event the best
HOW INFLUENTIAL HAS YOUR FAMILY
that it can be.
BEEN IN YOUR LIFE?
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE HURDLES,
PLUSES AND MINUSES?
We passed many hurdles that year, some

My family has probably been the most

influential thing in my life. Ive been
blessed to have a very large diverse supportive community around me.

YOUVE EVOLVED WITH THE PLANT

ALL YOUR LIFE. WHAT INFLUENCE
HAS YOUR LONG TIME ASSOCIATION WITH AN ILLEGAL PLANT HAD
ON YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS AND
CONFIDENCE?
When I was younger I was embarrassed or even ashamed at times of
my affiliation with cannabis because of
the way it was viewed in the 80s and
early 90s. It wasnt until I reintegrated
myself back in the cannabis community and saw the power behind
so many voices standing against
traditional views that I was pushed
to expand both my consciousness
and my confidence. I truly learned a
respect for the plant and the people
who dedicate their lives to it. The community inspires me. Having an association with an illegal plant has given me
a mental framework that allows me to
think outside the box by nature.
The majority of people I know
in the cannabis industry are educated
conscious healers, activists, horticulturalists; most of them work with
their families, their kids, their communities, and dont belong in jail for
working with cannabis.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR
CHILDHOOD, TIMS RELATIONSHIP
WITH YOU WITHIN THE FAMILY
AND HOW THAT AFFECTED YOUR
LATER CHOICES?
Looking back, I had a rather unconventional childhood. Until I was in about third
grade, my family lived in Santa Cruz CA.
I grew up in a beautiful home with tons
of friends and family coming by. My
sisters and I always had new toys and
clothes. All in all, I had a rather normal
middle class upbringing up to that point.
My dad was always busy working, but
at the end of the day, always made time
for us. Even though he has always been
an extremely hard worker, he has also
always been a big kid at heart. Hed get
all the kids on our block into huge games
of hide and seek or kickball or take us to
a toy store and buy toys for all of us. He
certainly had the ability to be silly and
make us all laugh.

Taylor, Tim and Nicki at 2014 Emerald Cup

I would say I was rather unaware of

what Tim exactly did at that time, career
wise. I was slightly aware of things happening around me but it wasnt until he
was arrested that I fully understood. It
was then explained to me what cannabis
was and that what he was doing was
illegal and that he was going to have to
go to jail.
My whole world changed at that
point. My mom moved my two sisters
and me to Spokane, Washington to live
with my aunt. We had a drastic lifestyle
change. We joke about it now, but my
mom tried to move us away from being
in the cannabis industry as kids. She was
no doubt concerned about our safety.
Regardless of her efforts, my sister and I
have both clearly embraced the industry.
TO GO BACK IN TIME: WHERE WERE
YOU BORN; HOW OLD ARE YOU; HOW
MANY SISTERS/BROTHERS/CHILDREN
DO YOU HAVE?
I was born in Dominican Hospital in Santa
Cruz. Im 30. I have two older sisters and
six nieces and nephews but no children
of my own. My sisters have graciously
taken the family pressure of having kids
off of me and I love being an auntie.

WHAT DID YOU MEAN THAT LIFE

CHANGED WHEN TIM GOT BUSTED?
WHAT CONSEQUENCES WERE THERE?
A lot of big changes happened around
that time for my whole family. Between the move to Washington and
my dad not being around, a lot of what
I had known and built my identity on
changed. Even though it was challenging, it gave me character and a sense
that your whole life can change in an
instant, so to be humble and appreciative of what you have.
Tim was in jail for a little under
a year. We were living in Washington
at the time. I only visited him once. It
gives me such great respect for the
families and children of those who are
incarcerated because even my short
experience was difficult.
HAVE YOU EVER FACED LAW
ENFORCEMENT ACTION OR FELT
AFRAID THAT YOU MIGHT?
I have never personally received any
legal action but I have definitely been
afraid of it at certain times in my life.
I think that most people in the cannabis industry always have that fear
in the back of our minds. Its one of
the things Im looking forward to the

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. JANE GOODALL

TOKIN FEMALE: TAYLOR BLAKE

most about legalization -- that
fear going away for all of us.
WHAT INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE
HAVE YOU MET THAT YOULL
NEVER FORGET?
The people who have influenced
me the most are the ones that
had an idea or a passion and they
worked really hard to make it bigger than themselves. Some of those
people are Jack Herer, Valerie Corral
from WAMM, Rick Doblin From
MAPS among others. The work and
research they have influenced is inspiring. So to meet people you look
up to is extremely memorable.
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE
POSSIBILITY OF CHILDREN OR
GRANDCHILDREN IN YOUR FAMILY BEING SEIZED IN A RAID, DUE
TO THE PARENTS ASSOCIATION
WITH MARIJUANA, EVEN FOR
MEDICAL PURPOSES.
It would be terrifying. Both of my
sisters are such amazing mothers
-- my nieces and nephews have
grown up in safe and loving homes
-- so that possibility would be tragic.
CAN YOU SAY A FEW WORDS
ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE CANNABIS PLANT?
My first cannabis experience
was like most kids. While I was in
Washington, I just started smoking
with my friends in high school. I
didnt really smoke a ton growing
up. It wasnt until I went to visit my
dad about 10 years ago when I was
around 20, that I gained a better
appreciation of cannabis. Tim was
telling me all about this flower that
was completely purple and was really popular in California. His explanation and enthusiasm prompted
me to decide to try cannabis again.
That was the moment that really
changed my perception and started
my relationship with cannabis.
I believe there is a cannabis
product for each person, whether
that is flowers, concentrates, CBD

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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015

dominant strains, etc. You just have

to find something that is right for
you and then you will be able to
find your niche.
HOW WOULD LIFE CHANGE IF
PROHIBITION ENDED & CANNABIS FREEDOM BECAME A
REALITY?
Wow, that is quite the million dollar
question in California right now. I
believe legalization for our state is
right around the corner. Ive been
inspired to see small cannabis
farmers start to band together in
political action groups to influence
regulations.
I lean toward being idealistic,
that life would change for the
better; individuals would stop being incarcerated; cannabis would
become more acceptable to the
greater public; a lot more research
would happen in the US. With the
size of the cannabis industry here,
lts really important for us to unify
as a whole community and have
our voices be heard.
THE EMERALD CUP HAS WOMEN
IN LEADING ROLES, SAMANTHA
AS LAST YEARS PRODUCER,
YOU AS THIS YEARS ASSOCIATE
PRODUCER, KRISTIN NEVEDAHL
COORDINATING ALL DAY GROW
WORKSHOPS, A LINK-UP WITH
JULIE AT SKUNK MAGAZINE,
AMONG MANY OTHERS. WHY
ARE WOMEN IMPORTANT TO THE
FUTURE OF THE EMERALD CUP?
Its important to encourage
women to be in leading roles in the
cannabis industry as a whole, and
especially at our event. Historically,
the cannabis industry has been a
very male dominant community.
But there are so many females
who grow amazing flowers,
produce world class hash, are out
there fighting for our rights as
farmers and bringing our community together. Its really important
to promote more strong female
voices everywhere.

TAYLOR BLAKE GREW UP in a loving

family in Northern California, surrounded by cannabis and a father who grew
and dealt it without her even realizing
what he did, because cannabis prohibition punishes parents and children by
seizing the children during raids where
there is any detectable connection.
Her father, Tim Blake, was known
to grow and deal weed openly, causing
him to be arrested and sentenced to a
year in county jail during her high school
years. This opened her eyes to the
consequences of prohibition. As she began to appreciate the benign nature of
cannabis and the wrong being done to
the people who use it, she drew closer
to the culture and ultimately came to
embrace it, wholeheartedly. Her comfort
level with the plant and the community
is due to her lifelong association; culturally speaking, it is in her DNA.
Taylor is the product of a kind family
life in keeping with the kind nature of the
plant. The larger community embraces
her as the female component of Emerald Cup / Team Blake, a father-daughter
production partnership for the ages. She
embodies the rising spirit of the cannabis
woman of the future, confidently guiding
the ship to higher ground.