The first ever Rocky Mountain Smokeout (RMS) will be held at the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, which looks to unite cigar fans from across Western Canada.
The event, running from Oct. 3-4, promises to feature some of today’s top premium cigars and is aiming to be the largest cigar festival in Canada.
Jeff Lawrence is one of the organizers and owner of Cheap Smokes and Cigars. He has teamed up with Canada Humidor to put on the event and said they have tried to model it after an event put on in Las Vegas and New York called The Big Smoke.
“It is an opportunity to get a community of people who smoke cigars together. It is very hard to find a place to smoke cigars, especially indoor anymore in Canada, let alone Alberta,” said Lawrence. “We created this so we could help the cigar culture in Alberta and Western Canada.”
Lawrence said that in Canada cigar smoking is popular, but it is more of an underground thing because of the weather, pointing out that it is difficult to have an hour smoking outside when it is 20 degrees below zero.
He said that an event like this provides the opportunity to bring this community together.
The event will also feature luxury products from a variety of industries that are enjoyed by cigar fans – including craft beer, wine and spirits, food and lifestyle vendors. There will also be the launch of a new Cuban beer.
Although there are lots of other products featured at the event, Lawrence said that the focus of the event is on the main star – cigars.
And what exactly is the appeal of smoking a premium cigar and following in the lines of famous smokers such as Winston Churchill, Mark Twain and George Burns?
Lawrence said for him, it becomes a form of meditation – a chance to pause for 35 minutes to an hour and think about what you are grateful for in life.
“It is an opportunity where you can’t rush, you have to relax, sit down and enjoy the moment,” he explained. “I live a pretty fast paced life so having the ability to carve out an hour of my time to sit down and enjoy a cigar is like yoga for me.”
Depending on the cost of the ticket purchased, you receive between one and 12 premium cigars. He said you also have the opportunity to go and meet and greet with the people that produced the cigars allowing for a little education along the way.
Another unique aspect of the event Lawrence mentioned was something called Heli-Herf.
On the Saturday morning of the event guests have the opportunity to get in a helicopter with friends and fly to the peak of the Rocky Mountains where there will be two tents set up with Cuban cigars.
You are invited to stay there for about three hours smoking cigars.
Lawrence also added that a portion of the proceeds from the event would go to the Ray Lowry Project. According to the RMS website, the project is made up of a group of men and women from Calgary and area that build family hampers which consist of food (for the week), clothing, necessities, toys for the kids to families in need at Christmas time.
Lawrence has helped with the project previously and said last year they helped out 65 families and they are trying to do 100 this year.
He said at the event there would be a 50/50 draw, a silent auction, massages and other services that are being donated that would go towards the project.
Lawrence said they are expecting around 250 people at the event and are over halfway sold out.
Tickets range between $60 - $300 and are available on the event website at rockymountainsmokeout.ca.
