User:MerryKate38/Sequim Lavender Festival

The Sequim Lavender Festival was established in 1996, and takes place every July in Sequim, Washington. The festival includes lavender farm tours, a street fair in downtown Sequim with lavender-related arts and crafts, food and drink, and entertainment, lavender-growing demonstrations, a quilt Show, winery and arts tours, a driftwood art show and an official festival golf tournament. In 2009, the festival drew an attendance of approximately 25,000 visitors from around the region and as far away as China and Australia. http://www.sequimgazette.com/news/article.exm/2009-07-22_purple_still_reigns

The festival was established in 1996, after a group of local citizens, disturbed by the loss of area farmland, sought for an agricultural commodity that would enrich both the environment and the community. They did careful research on and decided growing lavender was the ideal solution. Research was undertaken to determine the ideal varieties, best planting and growing practices. By 1996, the harvest was large enough that a few farms began selling at Sequim's downtown Open Aire Market. This was the first Lavender Festival, attended only by locals and their visiting friends.

Early farmers had decided to plant the lavender in varieties Grosso, known for its long stems and large blossoms, perfect for making dried lavender bundles, and Provence, which loses its blossoms upon drying, making it ideal for sachet mixes. Over time, those varieties have been augmented with English lavenders, best for cooking and oil distillation, and Spanish lavenders with their butterfly-like whorl of petals atop the blossom and long bloom season ideal for landscaping.

Eight lavender farms began planting between 1995 and 1998, and since then, more than 30 more have been established. The farm tours available during Lavender Festival focus on seven farms. The farms host artisans, restaurants and live entertainment, and u-pick lavender. Many visitors take advantage of the abundant photo opportunities. A free shuttle bus service connects the street fair downtown to the farms.