Working in harmony with nature

By Olivia Coffin

Contributing Writer

KEWAUNEE – Glen Innish Farm held its first “Lavender Fest” this past weekend, with a mission to work in harmony with nature to provide families with local high-quality and wholesome products.

Held by Amber and Simon Hewett decided this was the perfect weekend to host their festival.

“Our Scottish heritage is found throughout the farm, from our name and logo to the timings of our events.  The first of August is Lughnasadh, the traditional Celtic celebration of the beginning of the harvest.  As we normally harvest lavender between the end of July through the first week or two of August, we felt this weekend was a perfect time to host a Lavender Festival,’’ said Amber.

“Our logo is the Celtic 5 Fold — the four outside circles represent earth, air, water and fire, the fifth circle represents our spirit connected to the four elements and how we interact with the world around us. Our lavender field is laid out in a Celtic 5 Fold, and we strive to create a space where farmers and consumers can connect.”

“We have raised beef and sheep, providing our customers with a quality source of beef and lamb and have done so for many years.  Three years ago, we expanded our farm and started looking for another way to connect to the consumers,” added Simon.  “We looked into several options and toured several farms including a couple lavender farms.  We felt that lavender was the best fit for our land and for ourselves.”

The lavender takes up a small portion of the 80 acres of farm including a walking trail, small batch handcrafted lavender products, locally raised beef and lamb and locally made spices and herbs in their shop.

“The main purpose of this event is to educate our consumers and share our land and lavender with our community,” Amber said. “I love meeting the people and bridging the gap between people and their food.”

“It’s always so much fun to see families enjoying their time here.” Simon said. 

Next year they hope to have more activities and events at the festival such as picking your lavender, demonstrations and creating a take-home craft.

“We are looking forward to continuing to grow the festival and excited to share, ” Amber said. 

Glen Innish Farm is located at E5427 Second Road, Kewaunee.

For more information, visit gleninnish.com.