The 68th annual Lompoc Valley Flower Festival has become the latest event cancelled due to the public health emergency.
This year’s event, with the theme “Pirate’s Treasure,” was planned for June 24 to 28 at Ryon Park with the parade planned for June 27.
Organizers from the nonprofit Lompoc Valley Festival Association announced the cancellation on Wednesday saying the decision was made in response to social distancing orders and those banning large gatherings due to COVID-19
“We had no choice but to take this step for the safety of the community as well as the participating vendors, carnival and volunteers that make this event such a great success,” organizers said.
“Our plans are to put our energy into the 2021 Springfest and Flower Festival and make them better than ever.”
The Festival Association’s Board of Directors also canceled the 2020 Springfest planned for April.
“We want to thank you, our Lompoc community for your understanding and continued interest and support of the Lompoc Valley Festival Association. We remain committed to our community and its youth and plan on having many more festivals in the future,” the organization said.
The festival celebrates Lompoc’s flower industry which dates back to the early 1900s when mustard was harvested for seed, and sweet peas, one of the valley’s first flower seed crops, were introduced for export to England, according to the Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Local seed production has fallen dramatically, but some cut flowers remain with fields found mostly west of the city.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.