Another sun-splashed weekend is in the books, with more lavender to go around.
Sequim Lavender Weekend, July 19-21, saw droves of people come to the area once again for food, music, and of course Sequim’s signature plant.
Eighteen farms opened for the weekend along with Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park, the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club’s show and more.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Kelly Iriye, executive director of the Sequim Lavender Festival cuts the ribbon for the festival on July 19 with support from staff and dignitaries with the Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sequim Irrigation Festival, and more.
Kelly Iriye, executive director of the Sequim Lavender Festival, said it was a successful festival, estimating about 15,000 people coming to Carrie Blake Community Park just on Saturday.
The Lavender Festival, put on by the Sequim Lavender Growers Association, hosted 140-plus vendors and live music throughout the weekend with consistent lines for food and face painting.
Who visits for Sequim’s lavender always ranges from first-timers to the dedicated fans.
Harley Rae, 8, and Rowen, 7, Smith of Port Angeles enjoy some ice cream at the Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park. Their dad Ryan said they come every year for the food, ice cream and music.
At the festival’s vendor booths, Tracey Kronberg of Issaquah said she makes an “annual pilgrimage” to Sequim for fresh lavender bundles.
“I hang them all over the house,” she said. “I love coming home to (the smell).”
Elisa Warren of Newcastle, Washington, and Katharine Wheatley of Georgetown, Texas, enjoyed cutting and bundling lavender at Graysmarsh Farm while celebrating Warren’s mother’s birthday (complete with tiara).
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Katharine Wheatley of Georgetown, Texas, and Elisa Warren of Newcastle, Washington, enjoy some U-pick lavender gathering at Graysmarsh Farm on July 19.
While playing “Connect 4” with his son Gabe at Rancho La Morada Lavender & Flower Farm, Gus Silva of Des Moines said he and his family try to visit farms each year during the festival.
“It’s a slice of heaven,” he said. “It always feels so peaceful here.”
Hands-on
While many travel to Sequim from afar, many locals make a fun day trip out visiting farms, too.
Hayden Samuels and Alex Barden of Port Angeles said they had the day off on July 19 and went to a handful of farms to cut lavender and take in the sights and smells.
“It’s a magical moment,” Samuels said.
Gina Bloom of Friday Harbor said her mom moved to Sequim in recent months and they’d been looking forward to the festival.
“We’ve been doing it all weekend and it’s been awesome,” she said.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Eli Sanders of Over the Top hat shop helps Hongmin Couturier of Seattle try on a lavender-inspired hat at the Lavender Festival in the Park. Sanders said she’s been a vendor since the festival was on Fir Street.
Sergio Gonzalez, owner of Meli’s Lavender Farm, found his farm visitors wanted to especially work with lavender as throughout the weekend his wreath making booth was consistently busy. He didn’t even have time to take a lunch break any of the days.
“I would say this has been one of the best weekends we’ve had,” he said.
His plan is to promote wreath making more next year while keeping his prices reasonable.
“I tell people ‘this is for you guys because I know you’ll send family or friends,’” he said.
“I want to see them come back.”
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Dori Nelmark of Arlington carries a lavender bundle at Kitty B’s Lavender Farm on July 20 that will be dried in a nearby barn.
While Sequim Lavender Weekend is a major part of Sequim’s agri-tourism attraction, most farms remain open for different lengths into the summer. They are free to visit.
One of Sequim’s original lavender farms — Purple Haze Lavender Farm — was closed for a private event during the weekend, but reopened to the public this week.
As for Sequim’s rain shadow, the area saw mostly sunny skies with a short trickle of rain on Sunday morning. Farmers and organizers said Sunday mornings are typically slower as people are still traveling to the area and getting out of church so it didn’t seem to affect visitors.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ A couple walks in the field at Nelson’s Duckpond & Lavender Farm on July 21 to make a U-cut lavender bundle.
Clallam County Fire District 3 reports there were no sizable incidents over the weekend either related to traffic or structures.
If you’re planning to visit or leave Sequim, a few local area fish passage road projects are slated to finish this fall along U.S. Highway 101 while two more projects are slated to begin in August and go through September 2025. State Department of Transportation representatives said construction should not have a major impact on traffic flow. Find more information at engage.wsdot.wa.gov/olympic-peninsula-construction/.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash David Chan of Des Moines and Kaley Hedrick of Snoqualmie make lavender bundles at Lavender Connection. The couple returned to the farm for the second year because they enjoyed it so much, they said.
For more about Sequim Lavender Weekend and farms, visit sequimlavenderweekend.com.
Sequim’s lavender farms
Editor’s note: Farm hours subject to change. -MD
• B&B Family Farm, 5883 Old Olympic Highway; open 9 a.m.-5 p.m.daily through Sept. 30. Contact: 360-504-2585, bbfamilyfarm.com.
• Cedarbrook Herb & Lavender Farm, 31 Brueckner Road; open noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through July 28. Gift shop, 120 W. Washington St.; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-3:30 p.m. Sunday, year-round. Contact: (360) 683-7733, cedarbrooklavender.com/
• Fat Cat Garden & Gifts, 21 Fat Cat Lane; open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. through Oct. 31, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Contact: fatcatmeow21@gmail.com.
• Fleurish Lavender of Lost Mountain, 1541 Taylor Cutoff Road; open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday through Sept. 2. Contact: 360-681-2782, fleurishlavender.com.
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Marissa Rose of Port Orchard and her daughter, Emberly Rose, 4, cut fresh lavender stalks at Fleurish Lavender of Lost Mountain near Carlsborg on July 20 during Sequim Lavender Weekend.
• Gnomelicious Lavender Farm, 258914 U.S. Highway 101; Self-serve U-Cut: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily through Aug. 10; gift shop and full farm open 4-8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, through Aug. 10.
Port Townsend Gift Shop, 122 Harrison St., open noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Contact: emailus@gnomelicious.com, gnomelicious.com.
• Graysmarsh Farm, 6187 Woodcock Road; Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday through September. Contact: 360-683-5563, graysmarsh.com.
• In Bloom Lavender Farms, 1526 Marine Drive; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, through Aug. 31. Contact: 360-461-6464; inbloomlavenderfarms.com.
• Jardin du Soleil Lavender, 3832 Sequim-Dungeness Way; Open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. month of July daily; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sept. 31; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Sunday, October-December. Contact: 360-582-1185, jardindusoleil.com.
• Kitty B’s Lavender Farm, 82 Cameron Acres Lane; open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday-Monday, through Sept. 2. Contact: kittyblavenderfarm@gmail.com; kittyblavenderfarm.com.
• Lavender Connection, 1141 Cays Road; open 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday-Monday through Labor Day. Contact: 360-681-6055, lavenderconnection.com.
Photo by Keith Thorpe/Olympic Peninsula News Group / Crystal Heap of Lynden admires a lavender bouquet as her daughter, Lillian, 6, looks on at Old Barn Lavender Company near Sequim on July 20, part of Sequim Lavender Weekend.
• Meli’s Lavender, 62 W. Diane Drive; open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily through Aug. 15, Wednesday-Sunday. Contact: 360-461-9958, melislavender.myshopify.com.
• Nelson’s Duckpond & Lavender Farm, 73 Humble Hill Road; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, except 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday. Contact: 360-681-7727, nelsonsduckpond.com.
• Old Barn Lavender Company, 9785 Old Olympic Hwy.; open 10 a.m.-4 p.m Friday-Sunday, through Aug. 18. Contact: oldbarnlavendercompany@gmail.com, Oldbarnlavendercompany.com.
Delene Serna, 9, of Bremerton, inspects a lavender stem before bunching it with her lavender bundle she’s making with her dad Osvaldo at Meli’s Lavender Farm.
• Olympic Bluffs Cidery and Lavender Farm, 1025 Finn Hall Road, Port Angeles; open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, through September; or by appointment; Contact: ginger@olympicbluffscidery.com, olympicbluffscidery.com.
• Purple Haze Lavender Farm, 180 Bell Bottom Lane; open noon-5 p.m. Tuesdays in July; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, through October. Contact: 360-809-9615, purplehazelavender.com.
• Rain Shadow Lavender Farm, 1410 Kitchen-Dick Road; open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Monday through Aug. 15. Contact: 360-809-9613, rainshadowlavenderfarm.com.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Rosemary LeVasseur of Seattle snaps some photos of the lavender in the Sequim Botanical Garden. She said it was her first time visiting during the Sequim Lavender Festival and she stopped by after scuba diving earlier in the weekend in Neah Bay. “I’m pretty impressed,” she said of the lavender.
• Rancho La Morada Lavender & Flower Farm, 1430 Marine Drive; Contact: 360-461-7679, facebook.com/Lavandamorada.
• Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm, 274154 U.S. Highway 101; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through the summer; Contact: 360-683-6453, sunshinelavender.com.
• Victor’s Lavender Farm, 3743 Old Olympic Highway; open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, through Aug. 21; Contact: 360-681-7930, victorslavender.com.
More information at sequimlavenderweekend.com.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Lucy Willis, 3, of Bremerton tries out her hula hoop while walking with fresh face paint at the Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park on July 21.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Juan Gonzalez, Gabino Galante and Narciso Marcial hold lavender bundles at Rancho La Morada Lavender & Flower Farm that were cut to take to the Sequim Lavender Festival in the Park.
Sequim Gazette photos by Matthew Nash Steve and Lindee Tollefsen of Everett play a round of cornhole at In Bloom Lavender Farm with their dogs Truman and Wilson watching nearby. The couple said it was their first time visiting during Sequim Lavender Weekend and they went to a few farms and the Lavender Festival in the Park.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sequim irrigation Festival royalty, from left, princess Ashlynn Northaven, princess Sophia Treece, and queen Ariya Goettling enjoy some treats after celebrating the opening of the Sequim Lavender Festival on July 19.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Sergio Gonzalez of Meli’s Lavender Farm helps Morgan Wilson of Lacey and Jolene Wilson of Birmingham, Ala., make lavender wreaths on July 20. Morgan said she recently moved to Washington and had read about Sequim’s lavender and it put it on her calendar to visit.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Victor’s Lavender Farm hosts The Backwood Hucksters and several dancers on July 19 for the first of two barn dances during Sequim Lavender Weekend.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Ariel Pierson of Seattle snaps a photo of Michelle Boaz of Bremerton, and Jessica James of Chicago, Ill., at Rain Shadow Lavender Farm on July 21. The friends said they had visited four lavender farms so far that day.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Neighbors Dawn Harris and Suzy Morse of Sequim look at the 160-plus quilts inside Trinity United Methodist Church on July 20 during the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club’s annual show. The event moved to the church after being a one-day event outside at Pioneer Memorial Park.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Carol Wheeler of Everett, talks with B&B Family Farm co-owner Zion Hilliker during the Lavender Weekend on July 20.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / B&B Family Farm co-owner Zion Hilliker explains production of the farm’s products to visitors during Lavender Weekend on July 20.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Tami Ruby, left, of Chimacum, and Susan Fuller of Sequim enjoy making lavender wands at Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm & Gift Shop on July 19.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Susan Fuller of Sequim gets some tips on making a lavender wand from Kailah Blake at Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm & Gift Shop on July 19.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Ashley Bell of So So Sweet By Ashley talks with visitors at Jardin du Soliel Lavender Farm & Gift Shop on July 19.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Sam, Gabby and Debbie pose for photos in the lavender fields at Graysmarsh Farm on July 19.
Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell / Graysmarsh Farm was a popular venue this past weekend, both for U-cut lavender and berry-picking.
