Spring Love Affair Blooms in Sierra Madre
Since 1918, springtime in Sierra Madre is time to celebrate an annual love affair with the lavender blossoms of a wisteria.
So many flock to see the twining, woody vine that it has spawned a one-day festival, and tickets are required for a peek at what the Guinness Book of World Records in 1990 listed as the world’s largest blossoming plant.
This year’s festival Sunday lured more than 10,000 people.
“The only word I know to describe the vine is ‘Wow,’ ” said Dolly Chu, a Covina resident who stopped and stared at the beloved vine with its 1.5 million lavender flowers draping over arbors.
Chu brought her family and several friends visiting from Taiwan. For about half an hour, they took in the beauty of the vine, affectionately nicknamed Sierra Madre’s Treasure.
The wisteria, older than the city so fond of it, was planted in 1894 by Alice Brugman, who bought the vine for 75 cents from a nursery in Monrovia.
Today, the plant spans one acre and covers two properties on a hilltop.
Sierra Madreans love to boast that the vine grew so massive that the roof of one house collapsed in the 1930s. However, 95-year-old Viola Williams, daughter of the man who started the celebration, says that’s only a legend.
George Maurer says he has yet to grow tired of gazing at the flowering vine. He has been going since he moved into town in 1962.
“I just like to see it when it gets in full bloom,” said Maurer, who works at a restaurant. “The Purple Canopy is impressive. Those wisteria flowers are very pretty. And it has a strong, good smell.”
Since 1990, the celebration has grown to include a street fair with live bluegrass music, where crafts, food and wisteria plants are sold.
In the 1930s, a six-week fete attracted more than 100,000 people, according to a fact sheet framed at the local library.
The centennial celebration in 1994 was extended over two weekends.
“It’s something that everybody in Sierra Madre knows about,” said Shirley McGillicuddy, a longtime fan. “It’s generated a lot of love.” McGillicuddy is one of hundreds of Sierra Madreans to volunteer their time to prepare more than half a year in advance for the city’s largest event.
“It’s great,” said Pam Kelly, the event’s chairwoman. “People I don’t see all year long show up at my door. They say, ‘It’s that time of year again. I’m here. Tell me what you need me to do.’ ”
The town is so enamored with the vine, it made it the official city seal. And at least one couple in the 1950s thought it was a perfect place to exchange their wedding vows.
“People have rung our doorbell while we were brushing our teeth,” said Nel Solt, a proud owner of the vine. “One time, it was someone from Illinois who said they had seen it once before and wanted to see it again.”
The vine has had 13 owners. Not long after Solt and her husband, Bob, moved into the city in 1972, dozens of Sierra Madreans pleaded with them to continue the cherished tradition.
And now with one of the properties on sale, local real estate agents inform potential buyers how precious the vine is to the town and that they hope the owners carry on the tradition.
“It’s Sierra Madre’s legacy,” said Kathy Buchan, executive secretary for the Chamber of Commerce, which organized the event. “When people think of Sierra Madre, they think of wisteria.”
