The Sierra Madre Chamber of Commerce reminds you that shuttle tickets to ride up to view the Wistaria Vine at its annual Wistaria Festival are now available online. The 2011 Wistaria Festival will take place on March 20th, 2011.
The Wistaria Festival features tours of the world’s largest blossoming plant, certified as such by the Guinness Book of World Records. Each year, the property owners upon whose land the vine sits, the Solts and the Dorrances, open their property to allow thousands to view the vine. Dozens of Sierra Madre residents volunteer to act as docents at the property, telling the story of the vine, which was originally planted from a 1-gallon pot that was purchased for $0.75 in 1894. At its peak, the vine covered more than an acre of ground, and in the early 20th century was so large that it even destroyed a home that was under it.
In addition to the tours of the vine, the two main downtown streets of Sierra Madre are closed to traffic so that 175 juried crafters and artists can set up booths to display and sell their arts/crafts. Downtown village shops are open, and more than a dozen musical acts perform at outdoor venues. Memorial Park is transformed into a combination Kids/Food zone, as bouncy houses, slides, rock climbing and other kids attractions set up in the park alongside food vendors, both for profit and non-profit alike.
The shuttle to the vine from downtown avoids a long uphill walk from downtown to the neighborhood in which the vine sits. “Day of” tickets for the shuttle have been reduced from $15 to $12 this year, and pre-sale tickets are just $10. This year, for the first time, seniors and kids (6 to 16) receive a discounted rate of $7. Children under five ride for free. There is no charge to view the vine.
SierraMadreNews.Net readers that purchase non-discounted ($10) pre-sale tickets on line can also receive a $1 savings on their ticket by entering promo code SMNN01 on the ticket order page when prompted.
To order tickets online, visit www.WistariaTickets.com. For more information on the Festival and photos and videos from prior years, click on the link to Sierra Madre Wistaria Festival at the top of this page.