The 2012 Lemon Lily Festival committee is busy tying together loose ends in preparation for this year’s festival, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 21 and 22.
New this year, organized by volunteer Pat Hughes, are 14 area artists painting original original art banners to be hung throughout Idyllwild leading up to and during the festival. Banners will be auctioned in 2013, leading up to the next Lemon Lily Festival. Also different this year is that Pioneer Town will be held at the Idyllwild Nature Center rather than at Town Hall as it was last year.
Ted Cummings, Jazz in the Pines transportation and logistics guru, has stepped up to manage transportation both from the village to the Nature Center and from its entrance to the festival site. Augmenting Cummings’ efforts are California Highway Patrol Explorer Cadets, who will assist with traffic monitoring at the Nature Center entrance. The map for the festival program will include icons showing shuttle pickup stops in town as well as pickup and drop-off spots for the six-passenger gas-powered carts that will shuttle visitors within the Nature Center property.
“A Little Bluegrass,” to be held in town between the Fort and Jo’An’s, will run on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday music begins at 4:30. Lead artist Silverado will play two 45-minute sets augmented by local artists. A less formal bluegrass jam session starts on Sunday at 11 a.m. and continues to 4 p.m.
The inclusion of “A Little Bluegrass Music” featuring Silverado is intended by organizers to bring the festival to Idyllwild proper, since this year most festival activities are primarily at the Nature Center. In town, booths are available for local businesses and
nonprofit organizations during “A Little Bluegrass.”
Pioneer Town will feature a pony ride concession; Riley’s Farm will do log cabin building and provide mountain music. The Pennyroyal Players, a five-woman production offering singing and story telling, are also featured.
The Idyllwild Garden Club offers the popular O’Beck Garden tour with the opportunity to see lilies in their natural streamside setting. And naturalist Dave Stith is back to conduct group hikes to lily sites.
“For me the greatest joy of the Lemon Lily Festival weekend is having the opportunity to share the story of the Lemon Lily and showcase the other local wildflowers that we do often take for granted but are seldom seen by people off the Hill,” Stith said. “The grand finale of these walks and talks is the Sunday High Country Hike.”
Check the festival website for more information at lemonlilyfestival.com.
