The Middle of Somewhere Hemp Fest is gearing up for its fifth event this August at Bert Driver’s Burlap Room. This event celebrates hemp and CBD in Tennessee as well as local music, beer and food.
Bert Driver, owner and founder of the Burlap Room and the Bert Driver Nursery, has been in the business a long time. Driver grew up on a nursery in Smithville, Tennessee, and long thought he would never go into the business, but after spending some time away from Tennessee and later returning home, Driver decided to give it a shot. He opened the Bert Driver Nursery in 1997 at an old drive-in movie theater. After several years of running the nursery, Driver decided to open a venue, the Burlap Room, a live music beer garden. The Burlap Room was created to host events centered around local beers, bands and food. Driver hosted an Earth Day event for several years before deciding to try his hand at a hemp fest.
“We were having a great crop, so why not have a hemp fest? No one else was doing it, so let’s try it,” says Driver.
The state of Tennessee has a complicated history with cannabis. While hemp and CBD are now legal in Tennessee, with the legal age to purchase at 21, marijuana is still illegal for medical and recreational uses. At the beginning of July, Tennessee instituted a law for a 6% tax on the sale of hemp products. Driver hopes that this tax will lead to the legalization of marijuana in the state.
“We should make it legally accessible to people who need it,” says Driver, “There’s a million good uses for it.”
This year’s Middle of Somewhere Hemp Fest will feature the band LadyCouch, a Southern-rock jam band out of Nashville, Tennessee. The band, which some describe as a “hippie orchestra” comprised of various instruments (up to 14 members) including a horn section, debuted in 2021 with its album Future Looks Fine. After seeing the band perform at a show, Driver knew he had to track them down and bring them in to perform at the Burlap Room.
“They’re a killer band, dude! That in and of itself is worth coming,” says Driver.
The Middle of Somewhere Hemp Fest is all ages and pets are welcome. The event is also a place for vendors to come and try new local products and meet other business owners. The Middle of Somewhere Hemp Fest will take place Saturday, Aug. 12, at Bert Driver’s Burlap Room and Nursery, 175 Hurricane Ridge Rd., Smithville, with gates opening at 4 p.m. and LadyCouch performing at 8.
“It’s nice, classy, not obnoxious, edgy enough, and local. And every part’s local, that’s what I love most about it,” says Driver.
For more information on the Middle of Somewhere Hemp Fest and other Burlap Room events, visit bertdriver.com. Find tickets ($20 for adults, free for ages 10 and under) on Eventbrite.
