For the third year in a row, the Main Street Association held its Olive and Lavender Festival in downtown Paso Robles as a joint union.
Award-winning olive oils, such as Marcum Olive Oil, were present with olive tastings from their local farms. For the Marcum family, it took a village to create an oil that's brought home 19 trophies this year alone. They're the first Americans to win "Best of Show" at the Athena International Olive Oil Competition.
“We got Los Angeles International, New York International, The California Olive Oil Commission," founder Grant Marcum said. "(Coratrina and Itrana) oils got gold medals through (The California Olive Oil Commission). Then the Itrana got best of class as a monocultivar."
Grant and Lonnie Marcum started planting 18 years ago. They said their obsession with perfecting the ingredients stems from their daughter's diagnosis with Lyme Disease. Out of the four foods she wasn't allergic to, their olive oil was one of them.
“I'm always trying to learn how to do it better," Marcum added. "We treat all of our trees very sustainably. We don't apply herbicides and pesticides.”
Both olive trees and lavender plants are native to the Mediterranean climate, which translates to the current climate of Paso Robles. The hot temperatures kill off predators to the pollinators.
“It's a fabulous pollinator attracter," Susan Johnson, Master Gardener volunteer said. "It feeds pollinators, it attracts pollinators, it helps them support during the time when not many things are blooming."
“I think (this) is the best place to do this because Paso Robles started getting very popular," Ariela Rodriguez, owner and founder of Ariela Handmade Earrings said.
“I think the community just comes together really well, supporting local businesses," Brand Manager for Bonding Organics Howard Vega said. "(Main Street Association) pull together events all year round and they market it really well for for the whole community and tourists.”
