Kitayama Brothers Farms Gerbera Festival is back after a one-year hiatus as Gerbera-N-Go, a drive-through flower sale at Kitayama Brothers Farms, located at 481 San Andreas Road in Watsonville (next to Sunset State Beach).

Crates of 5 plants featuring a mix of colors can be preordered online for $10 each beginning Friday, May 14, through Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Flowers will be available for pickup from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 19. A limited number of day-of sales also will be offered for $15 a crate.

All proceeds from the Gerbera Festival benefit Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks and the Santa Cruz Farm Bureau Agricultural Worker Vaccine Program, which has made it possible for employees at Kitayama Brothers and many other farms to get vaccinated early and easily. As a result, a very high percentage of farm employees in Santa Cruz County are now vaccinated.

“We love our local state parks and just to the west of us is Sunset State Beach, which is a beautiful stretch of sand that Friends helps to care for,” said Stuart Kitayama, operations manager at Kitayama Brothers Farms and a Friends board member. “We have chosen to also include the vaccine program because the Farm Bureau did such an amazing job organizing and getting Santa Cruz County agricultural workers vaccinated, for which we are very thankful.”

This is the 11th year Kitayama Brothers Farms will celebrate the Gerbera Festival. The event began in 2010 as part of the Monterey Bay Greenhouse Growers Open House, a daylong event that featured guided tours of five Monterey Bay greenhouses. The event was not held in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“We are grateful for this longstanding partnership with Kitayama Brothers Farms,” Friends Executive Director Bonny Hawley said. “Bringing back a modified Gerbera Festival is a wonderful way to celebrate local state parks and beaches safely while supporting efforts to vaccinate farmworkers who do so much for our community.”

Gerbera daisies are bright, colorful flowers with large blooms and strong stems. Cut flowers last up to 10 days in a vase. Kitayama Brothers Farms cultivates nearly 20 varieties in shades of red, pink, orange, yellow and white, with centers that are green, cream or dark brown.

 

About Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

Established in 1976, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks (Friends) is a vital partner with California State Parks, creatively working to ensure our cherished local parks and beaches are thriving and available to all. Friends’ innovative and collaborative community partnership provides support and investment for education, equity and inclusion, conservation, facilities improvements, historic preservation and cultural events. Friends currently operates a robust online ParkStore offering nature- and history-themed merchandise for sale to benefit local parks and beaches. Friends also operates ParkStores at Natural Bridges, New Brighton, Santa Cruz Mission, Seacliff and Wilder Ranch. Learn more at www.ThatsMyPark.org or via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest.