I was recently able to visit the Oakes Daylily Bloom Festival on June 23, as I have for several years now. Whether you take the kids to the kid’s tent or walk through the display of beds or just relax while listening to the music of local artist, it is a day well spent. With 6 acres of Daylilies in full bloom, the Oakes Farm has more than 1000 varieties of Daylilies and they ship all over the country. On the day of the festival, we visited a tent set up with a large variety of lilies on display where we could view and select lilies for purchase. They even had a tent where visitors could line up for a free Daylily, just to show their appreciation for coming. Even though the line was long, I waited to get mine, a beautiful yellow, Miss Mary Mary.

They also had greenhouses filled with potted plants, perennials, hostas, grasses and clematis. Oakes has been growing and selling daylilies for over 40 years and have a Guaranteed Forever Policy. The farm is a family owned business that started in the 60s by father and son Bill and Stewart Oakes. The first Daylily Festival was held in 1999 and has continued each year in June ever since. For more information on the types of lilies sold or for easy ordering please visit their website at www.oakesdaylilies.com. Before leaving the festival, we were taking pictures and saw some Union Countians. Joe Kerr, Ronnie Mincey and Bill Sexton were hard at work selling Italian Ice for the Union County Lions Club.