Pink, purple and plenty of people planned for Lavender Weekend

Published 10:48 am Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Sequim’s busiest days are here so ready your sunglasses, satchels and your selfie sticks for Sequim Lavender Weekend from July 15-17.

This year marks the 20th year of the Sequim Lavender Festival and between it and other farms there are 17 free and paid admission farms open for visitors. That’s not counting more than a dozen community events and countless businesses with their own special events and promotions, too.

Mary Jendrucko, executive director of the festival, said through local farmers’ efforts the past 20 years they’ve helped introduce lavender to the United States.

“Now you see it in all these products and years ago you never saw that,” she said.

As for the festival’s sustainability, she says “through all the ups and downs, we’ve put on a first-class event people want to come to.”

Sequim’s rainshadow is likely to keep the rain away through the weekend and one farm has been there rain or shine for 20 years. Purple Haze Lavender Farm is the only farm, even after doing its own event for the second year called Purple Haze Daze, to remain on tour since 1997.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t doing lavender,” said Purple Haze owner Mike Reichner.

Since he bought the property in 1995, it’s quickly grown into one of the go-to places for Sequim lavender.

General manager Vickie Oen handles the day-to-day operations now but as a

Sequim native she said being a part of the lavender phenomenon is amazing because lavender wasn’t around when she grew up here.

“Now I can go places and people know exactly what I’m talking about,” she said.

Reichner said lavender as a whole gives the community something to associate with.

Relatively new to lavender, Bruce McCloskey, co-owner of B&B Family Farm, participates for the third time in Lavender Weekend after buying the former Angel Farm.

“We’re excited to see people get excited about lavender,” he said.

His son-in-law Zion Hilliker and co-owner of the farm said his family’s goal after moving from San Diego “was to share more of the educational parts and behind the scenes.”

“When we decided to bring our family here, we had good jobs in San Diego, we quit them and went for it,” he said

For this weekend, McCloskey said they keep it simple with no music or food vendors.

“We’re just a low-key, relaxed farm,” he said.

Each farm varies with some like Purple Haze going big, some simple like B&B Family Farm, and others seeking middle ground like at Victor’s Lavender.

Co-owner Maribel Gonzalez said they are adding live music through the weekend and a free barn dance on Friday from 6-9 p.m. with Joy in Mudville. It’s one of a handful of musical events that night.

She said looking back at the previous years of the festival and weekend, there are a lot of emotions from it all.

“It’s a big deal,” Gonzalez said. “An honor.”

For more information on Sequim Lavender Weekend visit www.sequimlavenderweekend.com or www.visitsunnysequim.com.

Look for the Sequim Lavender Weekend special section at the lavender farms, Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, 1192 W. Washington St., the Street Fair, and at various businesses across Sequim. See it online at www.sequimgazette.com under “green editions.”

Farms overview

Admission required: These farms are open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily with some special events extending hours.

• Purple Haze Daze at Purple Haze Lavender Farm, 180 Bell Bottom Lane; open 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. $10 pre-sale, $12 at gate for the weekend. Children 12 and under free. Free shuttle from QFC. www.purplehazelavender.com

• Washington Lavender Festival at Washington Lavender Farm, 939 Finn Hall Road, Port Angeles. $5 per person for the weekend. Children 12 and under free. www.walavender.com.

Two for one tour

• Jardin du Soleil, 3832 Sequim-Dungeness Way, and Olympic Lavender Heritage Farm, 1532 Marine Drive, partner for a $10 admission to both farms’ festivals all weekend. Children 12 and under are free. Free shuttle from the Museum and Arts Center on Sequim Avenue and Fir Street. www.jardindusoleil.com, www.olympiclavender.com.

Sequim Lavender Festival Farm Tour

This includes six free farms and one commercial nursery open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily.

• Blackberry Forest, 136 Forest Road

• Earth Muffin Lavender, 2333 Woodcock Road

• Fat Cat Garden & Gifts, 21 Fat Cat Lane

• Graysmarsh Farm, 6187 Woodcock Road

• Kitty B’s Lavender Farm, 82 Cameron Acres Lane

• Nelson Duckpond & Lavender Farm, 73 Humble Hill Road

• Peninsula Nurseries, 1060 Sequim-Dungeness Way

More free farms open

• B&B Family Farm, 5883 Old Olympic Highway; open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Lost Mountain Lavender, 1541 Taylor Cutoff Road; open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Martha Lane Lavender, 371 Martha Lane; open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm, 274154 U.S. Highway 101; open 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

• The Lavender Connection, 1141 Cays Road; open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

• Victor’s Lavender Celebration, 3743 Old Olympic Highway; open 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Community events

• Street Fair

The Sequim Lavender Growers Association runs the free street fair featuring more than 100 food, craft, art and agricultural items on Fir Street between Sequim Avenue and Third Avenue. It runs from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. The fair features a street dance from 7-9 p.m. Saturday with the Strait Shots, live music throughout the weekend as part of “Lavenderstock,” and a Festival for Fun for children 12 and under. www.lavenderfestival.com.

• Art Jam, Rock Hollow Farm, 505 E. Silberhorn Road, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. www.rockhollowarts.com.

• Charity Golf Tournament, The Cedars at Dungeness, 1965 Woodcock Road, 8 a.m. Saturday. www.olympicchristian.org.

• Fat Chance concert at Olympic Cellars, at 7 p.m. Saturday, 255410 U.S. Highway 101. www.olympiccellars.com.

• Jazz in the Alley, with Jazz in Blume at BrokersGroup, 219 W. Washington St., 5-7:30 p.m.

• Jungible Summer Session, with Malcolm Clark Band at 6:30 p.m. at Jardin du Soleil. www.jungiblefestival.com.

• Olympic Lavender Rock, Roast and Toast, with Joy in Mudville from 6-9 p.m., Olympic Lavender Heritage Farm. www.rockroasttoast.com.

• Olympic Driftwood Sculptors, Sequim Middle School, 301 W. Hendrickson Road, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. www.olympicdriftwoodsculptors.org.

• Puffin Marine Cruise, 7-9 p.m. John Wayne Marina, 2557 West Sequim Bay Road. www.dungenessrivercenter.org.

• “Scapino!” at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N. Sequim Ave., 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. www.olympictheatrearts.org.

• Sequim Farmers Market, corner of Sequim Avenue and Washington Street. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday. www.sequimmarket.com.

• Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Show, Sequim Middle School, 301 W. Hendrickson Road, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. www.sunbonnetsuequiltclub.org.

• Victor’s Barn Dance with Joy in Mudville, 6 p.m. Friday, Victor’s Lavender Farm. www.victorslavender.com.

• Wine tasting throughout the peninsula. www.olympicpeninsulawineries.org.

Shuttles

Free shuttles run from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-Saturday and from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday from JCPenney, Sequim Middle School, the Sequim Lavender Festival Street Fair and at the Second Avenue and Washington Street intersection west and eastbound, and QFC. Shuttles run from the Museum and Arts Center’s locations on Fir Street and Sequim Avenue to Jardin du Soleil and Olympic Lavender, and a shuttle from QFC runs to Purple Haze Lavender.

Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@sequimgazette.com.