The 16th Annual Lavender Festival
Our 16th annual Lavender Festival took place during two weekends in June & July of 2024. In the height of our busy season, the Lavender that lines the fields leading up to the pavilion exhibits gorgeous shades of purple. This year, however, our lavender plants surprised us and bloomed almost a full month early! Staff arrived early in the morning on festival days to harvest fresh lavender bundles from Beliveau Farm for our customers to bring home with them. That wasn’t the only place our homegrown lavender was showcased - we offered specialized food and drink orders made with our culinary grade buds.
A brand new specialty pizza was debuted this year at the festival. A lemon lavender ricotta base was smothered on top of our signature crust, topped with red pepper, caramelized onions, dates, and a lavender honey drizzle. A hint of sweetness fused perfectly with the spices of the pepper and lavender. We also offered a lavender chicken salad sandwich for those looking for a lighter meal. Food wasn’t the only thing being complemented with lavender - we brought our White Wine With Lavender back out of the vault to celebrate the occasion. While it was only available by the glass during the festival, we gave customers the opportunity to purchase it by the bottle during the month of July. Wine wasn’t the only drink specialty. We also brought back our Lavender Honey Saison, coming in at a whopping 7.5% ABV. And who could forget the lavender lemonade wine slushies?
One of the best parts about our Lavender Festival is all of the incredibly talented local vendors that join us for the fun! This year we highlighted both returning and first time vendors for an afternoon to remember. Local businesses such as Let’s Aroo, Roan Soap Company, Sweet Surrender Ice Cream, and more! Getting to experience the beautiful things our community is able to create is the greatest gift of living in the Blacksburg area.
Weather wasn’t entirely on our side with hot and stormy days, but the grapes in the vineyard didn’t mind a little rain after the recent drought! They are coming along nicely and we are very excited to see what you create with them once our Upick grapes event kicks off at the end of the summer. Jams, Juice, and more… the possibilities are endless!
Our owner and lavender farmer, Joyce Beliveau, offered “Lavender Talks” during the first weekend of the festival. She shared her knowledge and experience with the plant, and answered questions from the audience. We also had seedlings to purchase at our new and improved gift shop, so customers could take their very own plant home to care for.
While it has been a slow year for business, The Lavender Festival never fails to remind us of why we do what we do. Seeing friends and families come together to enjoy an afternoon on our gorgeous 165 acres of farmland nestled in the mountains is such a wonderful experience. We hope to have the privilege of holding the festival again for years to come!
Cheers!
White Wine With Lavender
Our popular lavender infused Vidal Blanc is BACK! The wine was for sale by the glass during the festival, and by the bottle during the remainder of the month of July.
Vendors Galore!
The area’s finest local vendors banded together to line the hillside and show off their best products. Thank you to our incredibly talented vendors!
Lavender Blooms
The plants bloomed early this year, but that gave us a wonderful opportunity to share freshly harvested bundles with our customers.
Lavender Honey Saison
Specialty wine isn’t the only thing that made a return for the festival - our Lavender Honey Saison made a splash this year, as well at 7.5%.