Annual festival celebrates lavender’s many uses

In 2002, Michele Bloomquist purchased a farm outside of Battle Ground that she described as neglected and forgotten. She said the “For Sale” sign for the property had fallen into a nearby ditch and it had become so overgrown with blackberry bushes that they stood taller than her head.

“I fell in love with the house and wanted to save it,” she said.

Bloomquist said she saw potential in the property that includes the Heisen House, a Victorian farmhouse built in the late 1890s that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places. After purchasing the property, she cleared out the blackberries and planted a patch of lavender, a drought-resistant plant that’s known for its distinct grayish purple hue and soothing scent. But she said her attention soon turned from lavender to Heisen House Vineyards, a winery she started on the property.

On Saturday, the focus of the vineyard turned back to lavender. Visitors streamed into the once forgotten farm to sip lavender-infused wine and lemonade, buy lavender-infused soaps and oils, and check out other vendors as part of the winery’s Lavender Festival, which Bloomquist said has been an annual event since 2010.

Bloomquist said that she originally planned to have a lavender farm, but the property, which now totals 15 acres, included apple trees that she used to make cider. She said she also put in grapevines for wine.

“Instead of the lavender farm I decided I’d rather have a vineyard and winery,” said Bloomquist, while a musician strummed a guitar and sang in the background and a turkey in a nearby pen let out periodic gobbles. But said she still keeps a patch of lavender on the property and hosts the annual event as a tribute to her original plan.

“We love it,” Joanie Nelson of Vancouver said. “The fragrance is so soothing.”

“And it’s beautiful,” Barb Doenecke of Vancouver added.

“I’m going to put it in my car,” Nelson said.

“It’s good to put by the bedside,” Doenecke said.

Bloomquist said that lavender is antimicrobial, antifungal and antibacterial. She said it can be dried and made into candles or oils. Because it’s edible, she said it can be baked into food or infused in drinks, such as a wine she had on hand for the event.

Nicole Farrell, the festival’s vendor coordinator, said that she expected this year’s event to be the biggest yet with over 40 vendors selling arts and crafts. Farrell is the owner of Stargaze Luxuries that sells candles, soaps, lotions and bath oils, many of which were infused with lavender.

“You name it, I can do it,” she said.

Bloomquist said that in addition to making wine and growing lavender, her overarching goal all along has been to help preserve this piece of Clark County’s history and agricultural heritage.

“I could see in my mind how beautiful it could be,” she said. “And luckily no one else could see it.”