The smell of luxurious cigars will fill the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino Oct. 3-4 with the return of the Rocky Mountain Smokeout (RMS) for its second year.
The event aims to be a veritable paradise for aficionados of premium cigars and features a cornucopia of not only top cigar brands but also luxury vices for pairing. Organizer Jeff Lawrence and owner of Airdrie’s Cheap Smokes & Cigars said the main difference for this year is its growth from a one-day event to a weekend affair.
“We had great turnout and ticket sales for our first year, so it’s going to be substantially bigger. We got more cigars, more people from out of town and we’ve added new seminars.”
Friday night will include a ‘chilled event’ involving more round table discussion and other more laid back activities, but Saturday will again be the main night.
Roberto Duran, of Duran Cigars, will be on hand as a special speaker to give a talk about the birth of cigar companies, while ‘the most legendary Cuban roller’ Cristano (Santos) Cardenas will attend, running cigar rolling demonstrations.
“Anyone who’s been in the cigar industry knows this man.”
The event will also feature fine products from a variety of industries that are enjoyed by cigar fans – including craft beer, wine and spirits, food and lifestyle vendors. The event will again be raising money for the Ray Lowry Project, whose members put together Christmas hampers for needy families.
Lawrence said they raised $4,000 last year for the project and expect to raise even more this year with the event’s expansion.
“We like to say it’s a ‘hand up, not a hand out.’”
Depending on the ticket type, event goers can receive one to 12 complimentary cigars.
Tickets range between $60 to $300 and are available on the event website at rockymountainsmokeout.ca.
