Olympic Peninsula News Group

SEQUIM — Sequim’s lavender is gaining some national attention once again as the Lavender Weekend holds steady at 15th out of 20 in its bid to be named best flower festival in the nation.

The Sequim Lavender Weekend is one of 20 flower festivals in the running for the Best Flower Festival category in the USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice contest selected by readers of USA Today and 10Best.

The annual festival draws tens of thousands of visitors for three days of activities organized by the Sequim Lavender Growers Association and the Sequim Lavender Farmers Association.

Mary Jendrucko, executive director for the Sequim Lavender Growers Association, said she was unaware they were in the running for the contest or how they were entered.

“I know you can vote once a day for the duration of the contest, which ends on March 28,” she said.

Voting runs through 12 p.m. Eastern on March 28.

A panel of experts including Cindy Brockway, program director of cultural resources at The Trustees of Reservations; Katy Moss Warner, president emeritus of the American Horticultural Society; and Abby Hird, program director for Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., nominated the 20 festivals in the running.

In the contest’s description, it says of the Sequim Lavender Weekend: “Each July, Washington’s Dungeness Valley is blanketed in purple.

The fragrant Sequim Lavender Festival celebrates the Lavender Capital of North America with a range of events, including farm tours, street fair, kids activities, live music and all things lavender, including infused libations.”

The event is running against other Pacific Northwest attractions like the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Portland Rose Festival and Daffodil Festival.

This year’s event, which runs July 15-17 for its 20th year with free farm tours and its street fair, is touted as the largest lavender event in North America.

To vote for Sequim Lavender Weekend, go to http://tinyurl.com/PDN-10bestlavender.