PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — This weekend the city of Newberg is celebrating its official flower: the camellia.
The 15th annual Newberg Camellia Festival is an all-day event filled with performances, kids’ activities and more. Festivities kick off with a 5k and 10k run/walk Saturday morning before moving inside the Chehalem Cultural Center.
“The entertainment here in the ballroom is top-notch,” said festival founder Bryan Stewart. “There is something for everybody and that makes it really unique: you can be a plant person, a flower person, a foodie, entertainment, stuff for kids.”
The idea for the festival bloomed from an email 15 years ago where the sender was inquiring about what the city had planned to celebrate the 60th anniversary since the camellia was first named Newberg’s official flower. That email was passed on to Stewart who at the time was the head groundskeeper for Chehalem Parks and Rec. After digging through some historical archives, he organized the first festival which had a turnout of about 50 people.
The festival has only grown in size since then.
“The festival has become a celebration of community, culture, and history,” according to Chehalem Cultural Center’s website
Watch the full preview in the video player above.