On the 46th annual Mt. Pisgah Wildflower Festival, the forecast was dismal; the grey clouds invaded the sky and a high temperature of 60 made you question if you should’ve brought a jacket –– a typical spring day in Oregon. But that didn’t stop Lane County from joining together to celebrate 46 years of community, culture and the arrival of spring.
“I’ve lived in Eugene for about 20 years and I’ve been coming to the festival that whole time. I always saw what an amazing community event these festivals were,” Ilana Jakubowski, who joined the Mt. Pisgah staff as executive director last summer, said. “I would always run into people I knew or meet new people and learn a lot about the arboretum and nature in general.”
Over 200 species of wildflowers were on display at the festival with beautiful arrangements of native wildflowers like the well-known Pacific Rhododendron or the state flower, Oregon Grape. Every few vases presented unique species like the Angled Bittercress, Hosackia rosea or the fragrant popcornflower.
Since the late ‘60s, Mt. Pisgah has been an established international arboretum with trees from all around the world and 209 acres of land preserved and restored by volunteers of the community.
“It is a beautiful example of what can be done when a community comes together. Mt.Pisgah used to be covered in oak savannas,” John Baumann, music director for Mt. Pisgah festivals, said. But, as the planet progressively changes from global warming, our land doesn’t look the same as it did 50 years ago, and the next 50 years is uncertain.
The festival took place May 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and showcased six performances of all genres and dances, such as the local Latinx dance group, Ballet Folklórico Colibrí; an indie, folk-rock NeverEver Band ; a traditional bluegrass group, Moon Mountain String Band and a few more.
Bold wafts of Jamaican food blended with smells of pizza and Asian food from the selection of food carts at the festival. The exchanges of happy customers browsing the local vendors and local organizations tabling exemplified the supportive nature of the Oregon community.
“Every year I meet people from the East Coast, or they’re from Canada just visiting,” Casper Riordan, a volunteer and outreach coordinator at Walama Restoration Project, said. “So it connects people beyond Eugene as well.” Riordan is a festival advocate, having attended the last three years and working with his program who also helps to restore land at Mt. Pisgah.
“It shows that there’s a lot of people in this area that care about the environment and the natural world around us and it’s a great way for people to connect over something that impacts us all,” Riordan said.
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum and LCC host two annual festivals to mark the arrival of spring and a Mushroom festival in October marking the season of harvest. Between now and then, visitors can wander through the vast greenery of Mt. Pisgah’s seven miles of trails or even take a stroll along the river that outlines the bottom of the mountain.
