Lavender magic returns for the 16th year as Ojai festoons herself in fragrant, purple glory to celebrate a bountiful season of local lavender.
While drought and fire affected last year’s crop, Mother Nature has been tender with temperatures and and generous with rain in 2019 to produce a banner year for the versatile herb.
Held the last Saturday in June to coincide with Ojai’s peak lavender bloom, this year’s Ojai Valley Lavender Festival (OVLF) will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 29, at Libbey Park. Entry is free.
The festival draws thousands to Ojai for a family friendly day of art, music, food, games, speakers, prizes, and 100 vendors offering an array of lavender and lavender-inspired products, including:
Oils, vinegars, honey, aromatherapy and beauty products, culinary items, candles, jewelery, clothing, pottery, crafts, and freshly cut, dried and potted lavender.
Local shops, restaurants, wineries, breweries, java cafes and overnight accommodations participate in the celebration, many featuring lavender items and sales specials.
Local lavender delights, inspire and provide livelihoods to many, thanks to a burdgening, home-grown lavender industry in Ojai that includes items from local oils, honeys, health and beauty products, to lattes, beers, wines and desserts.
The Ojai City Council proclaims June as Lavender Month in Ojai.
The sober side to this event is that, as of now, 2019 will be the final Ojai Lavender Festival.
The Ojai Valley Lavender Festival (OVLF) committee has produced the event for 16 years, but the all-volunteer team, led by executive director Neil Friedrichsen, president Cindy Mullins and vice president Joy Brown, is ready to retire.
It is hoped that another group or organization will assume the mantel to carry the festival into the future.
Anyone interested can contact Mullins at www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org to learn more.
Musical offerings at this year’s festival include:
10 a.m. Musician Richard Kaller on Libbey Park’s front patio.
10 a.m. Old Time Fiddlers, District 8 at the gazebo.
11:15 a.m. Hal Waite and the Gaddis Boys.
12:30 p.m. Lynn Mullins and Coyote Creek.
1:45 p.m. Smitty and Julija.
2:45 p.m. Cindy Kalmenson and the Lucky Ducks.
3:45 p.m. Jon Gindick.
The festival speakers’ tent will present Renee Roth at noon with Greywater Reclamation, and Amanda Mullins at 2 p.m. with Make Your Favorite Foods Nutritious and Delicious.
Art, including entries in the 2019 Ojai Valley Lavender Festival Art Contest, will be on display and for sale in the art pavilion, including 1st place winning still-life oil Lucky Lavender by Ingrid Boulting; 2nd place oil landscape Come Linger in the Lavender by Sandra Fisher; and 3rd place oil landscape Lavender Fields in Provence by Jacqueline Francis.
Artist Tom Hardcastle created the oil image adorning this year’s festival poster and promotion materials.
OVLF’s Passport Game will offer fun, adventure and chances to win great prizes donated by festival vendors.
Local Frog Creek Lavender Farm will again join the festivities, offering farm visits with U-pick lavender at its Upper Ojai farm 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 29, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends through July. Visit www.frogcreekfarmojai.com for details.
As a nonprofit, the Ojai Valley Lavender Festival has long supported the community through scholarship awards and community grants. This year’s $2,500 OLVF David Mason Scholarship Award goes to Claire Hankins.
Additional $2,000 OVLF scholarship recipients are Karen Romero Sanchez, Angela Zirpolo, Aliyah Zweig and Giovanni Torres.
Free parking for OVLF is managed by Chief Peak 4-H, with complimentary parking shuttles run by HELP of Ojai.
OVLF thanks Ojai/Ventura Teen Challenge, Von’s, Ojai City Council, and OVLF’s volunteers, vendors and festival guests, for making the Lavender Festival a memorable and successful event over the years.
Learn more at www.ojaivalleylavenderfestival.org.
— Maureen Volland for Ojai Valley Lavender Festival.