The first day of summer will coincide with Thursday’s opening of the 71st annual Lompoc Valley Flower Festival for its four-day run. 

With the theme “Shoot for the Stars,” the festival runs through Sunday. Most of the events will take place at Ryon Memorial Park, 800 W. Ocean Ave., and gates will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Admission is $5 or free for those age 12 or younger. Before 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday, admission to the festival is free for everyone.

Even before the festival opens, Flower Festival Queen Madison McCarley, who was crowned Saturday night, and her court have been busy but likely will have a jam-packed schedule in the coming days.

McCarley, a Lompoc High School graduate who was sponsored by the Lompoc Elks Lodge, replaced 2023 Lompoc Valley Flower Festival Queen Ava Nasr.

While McCarley was named queen, Brinley Thomas captured the first runner-up and Miss Congeniality honors, with Jaylene Ramirez being second runner-up, and Arianna Tkachuk, Ashlyn Woods and Sadie Tamayo rounding out the court as princesses.

On Wednesday afternoon, McCarley and her princesses showed up at the Comprehensive Care Center in Lompoc for the traditional crowning of their king and queen, Guadalupe Aguirre and Clariss Smith, who will represent the facility by riding in the parade on Saturday morning. 

Residents, family and staff watched as McCarley placed crowns on the heads of the CCC queen and king after they were announced by Michele Hunt, CCC’s activities director. 

“I must say, you look quite lovely as a queen,” Hunt told Smith, who displayed an infectious smile after donning the crown and sash.

Aguirre, a loyal New York Yankees fan, initially didn’t give up his baseball cap when he received his crown, sporting both head coverings for a time. 

The Flower Festival queen and her court plus CCC king and queen also will participate in the parade, which starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, traveling south on H Street before turning onto Ocean Avenue and ending at Ryon Park. 

The CCC king and queen will ride in a vintage convertible.

“Hopefully, the sun will be shining on Saturday and we don’t have to put the convertible up because we had to do that last year,” Hunt added.

Riding in a place of honor as parade grand marshal this year will Barbara Machado Satterfield, a Lompoc Valley native who has worked in the hospitality and event coordination industries while also promoting the Santa Rita Hills wines. She and her family owned The Outpost Restaurant in Lompoc.

Satterfield also has been active in Relay for Life, raising more than $100,000 through her team Hope on Highway 246. For the past 10 years, she has worked with the Lompoc Theatre Project to restore and revive the historic building. 

Along with nearly two dozen food booths plus other vendors, the Flower Festival will include a carnival hosted by Guadagno & Sons Amusements with games and rides.

For all four days, a full slate of entertainment will hit the stage at Ryon Park with an assortment of local youth and adult performances. The complete schedule for all four days is available here.

Nightly headlining performers are Bryan Titus with post-modern barn dance music at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and The Caverns with rock ’n’ roll music at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday night, country artist Drew Baldridge will perform, while Banda La Invasora will hit the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday. 

Since the 1950s, the Flower Festival celebrates the community’s roots in the flower industry that involved world-famous colorful fields of flowers attracting visitors. 

While fewer fields exist, and other crops fill the fields, some colorful displays can be found, typically west of the city. 

For more information, a list of food vendors, schedules and more, go to the festival website at lompocvalleyfestivals.com or the Facebook page by clicking here.