A festival promoting the benefits of hemp and CBD is scheduled for today and Saturday at Hickory Motor Speedway in Newton.

The Sweet Leaf Map Festival will feature various vendors, live music, comedians, a premium bar and a vintage car show. VIP packages are available, but $10 will get participants into the festival, according to the event flier.

Former professional boxer James “Bonecrusher” Smith, who is a CBD user according to Sweet Leaf Map owner Marlene Jones, will be making an appearance and speaking about his experience with CBD.

“We wanted to do something different,” Jones said.

While Sweet Leaf Map, an online source dedicated to educating readers about cannabis, is based in Charlotte, Jones and her team chose to host the event in Catawba County because there’s a lot of land and opportunity for farmers to start growing hemp.

“Hickory is a nice gem that people don’t know about,” Jones said.

Those interested in being a vendor for the Sweet Leaf Map Festival should call 844-559-5500. Go to eventbrite.com and search “Sweet Leaf Map” for more information and to buy tickets.