SEQUIM — The newly formed Sequim Lavender Farmers Association — which recently broke away from the Sequim Lavender Festival’s original organization, Sequim Lavender Growers Association — announced Thursday it has hired the Scott Nagel as executive director.
Nagel has directed the Sequim Lavender Festival since 2004. The event draws about 25,000 each year from all over the world and kicks about $3 million into the Sequim area’s economy.
Now Nagel, whose Port Angeles-based company Olympic Peninsula Celebrations also produces the Port Angeles Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival, will direct the Sequim Lavender Farm Festival, which will occur simultaneously with the Sequim Lavender Festival on July 15-17.
Nagel begins his new position in February.
The Sequim Lavender Farmers Association on Jan. 11 announced it was breaking away from the Lavender Growers Association.
The growers association, which owns the Sequim Lavender Festival and has operated it for most of its 15 years, loses Nagel and his four part-time staffers to the farmers association.
“As of 5:19 p.m. [Wednesday] night, Mr. Nagel worked for us,” said Terry Stolz, Sequim Lavender Growers Association president.
“He came in [Wednesday] night and announced he was going to quit as of 5:20 p.m.
“We were quite surprised.”
Nagel, explaining why he bolted to the new lavender farmers group, said he had been working for the growers association without a contract since September.
Nagel said a statement from Stolz on Jan. 11 incorrectly stated he had agreed to accept the challenges of the realignment, pledging to promote and produce this year’s festival.
“My contract expired at the end of September,” Nagel said. “They had never offered me a contract.”
The farmers association, once it split from the growers association, approached him, and he wanted to work for the farmers because he strongly believes that the farms are the main attractions.
“We are about raising lavender, growing lavender and spreading lavender love,” Nagel said.
Nagel said he will work with the lavender farmers to ensure the Sequim Lavender Farmers Association capitalizes on opportunities and events to position and promote the association.
“It’s very sad that this reached this point to go our separate ways,” Nagel said. “I’m just happy to be with the farmers.”
He hopes to expand the new association’s events year-round, offering conferences, other celebrations and promote agri-tourism that embraces all farms, not just those growing lavender.
What the change means is:
• The new organization will no longer be a part of the original lavender street fair on Fir Street, which will remain under the growers association’s ownership and management.
• The new lavender farmers association will produce its own event, including tours to six pioneering lavender farms that broke away to form the farm group and which plans to put on the new Sequim Lavender Farm Festival.
• The farmers association will announce its location for a separate crafts fair, music, food and a bus transportation center for farm tours within the next two weeks.
Nagel said the group hopes to secure an event site within the Sequim city limit.
• Sequim Lavender Growers Association will still own and operate the street fair on Fir Street with its website at www.lavendergrowers.org.
• The organizations now have separate websites, with the new organization’s site at www.sequimlavenderfarmersassociation.org.
Steve Ragsdale, lavender farmers association president, said Nagel “has the passion and experience needed to take this event to the highest level while allowing us the time and opportunity to do what we do best — grow and market lavender.
“His input and influence will be invaluable as we build a strong future for this organization and this city.”
Stolz — who described Nagel as having built ” a kind of a one-of-a-kind festival” and “a turn-key operation” — said the growers association would likely seek a new director for this year’s festival.
He stressed the changes would only mean the lavender bus tours would be replaced by more self-guided tours of the farms in the growers’ association.
“The festival is going to go on,” Stolz said. “We’re going to have a 15th birthday blowout party for the Lavender Festival. We’re going forward. It’s the same event.”
The goal remains the same, he said, “to promote lavender in Sequim-Dungeness Valley.”
At least 18 to 20 members remain with the Sequim Lavender Growers Association, Stolz said.
“More than two-thirds of the membership is intact,” he said.
Stolz said he was without a clue as to what caused the rift.
“I honestly can’t say,” he said. “They cited philosophical and administrative differences, but from the press release it seems like they want to do the same thing we had done already.”
He said the group has put in for its city permit to for the street fair again this year on West Fir Street.
“We really want to focus on this year tying into our community,” he said. “Our focus is charity through commerce.”
The lavender growers’ association wants to raise dollars for scholarships, the arts and theater in Sequim, he said, and even create awareness for housing needs in Clallam County.
“We want to go in a different direction and eliminate the perception that events such as ours is all about sales,” he said.
Nagel, however, argued that the association has always helped charitable causes.
“That is nothing new,” he said.
Stolz said his group would not hold any animosity.
“We wish everybody success,” he said.
The six lavender festival tour farms that split from the growers association to form the lavender farmers association are Cedarbrook Lavender & Herb Farm, Jardin du Soleil Lavender, Olympic Lavender, Port Williams Lavender, Purple Haze Lavender and Sunshine Herb & Lavender Farm.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.