Some of the area residents, not living in Lompoc say there is plenty to do:
“Every year there is the nationally known Lompoc
Flower Festival, then every evening at dusk you can watch them roll up the sidewalks.”
Well, we do not have a great deal of “nightlife” like they do in Santa Barbara, sixty miles to the south or Los Angeles about one hundred sixty or so to the south. But there is plenty to do depending on your interests.
Just last week June 21st to the 25th Lompoc had the 48th Annual Flower Festival. Always family-style, live entertainment.
There was the usual big parade on Saturday. There is a major carnival every day. Huge flower show, arts and crafts. Tours of
the flower fields are still available through July with information available at the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce. The sweet alyssum picture was taken only two miles from City Hall. The strawberry fields sign, is about a mile farther down the road.
July Fourth is the big fireworks display. Barbeques are being held. River Park is the host for many of the barbeques including
the VVA or Vietnam Veterans of America. Always on holidays, with the Fourth being no exception, you will find many barbeques
up and down “H” Street hosted by various local groups. Most are serving Santa Maria style tri tip, chicken or ribs with beans,
salad and sourdough.
July 7th through the 9th the Piper-Cub Fly-in. Last year there were 50
planes from all over the United States. Many fun events are planned. Food, dancing, contests. View the planes up close. One
of the fun events is watching the pilots compete in the proficiency games. One of the events is a fly-by with an attempt to drop a weighted bag into a 55-gallon drum. Prizes of course for all of the winners of the proficiency games.
Lompoc is known nationwide for the murals on buildings all over town, that is a day’s tour in itself. The “Old Town” walking tour
is a couple of hours. Nearby is the La Purisima Mission, the most fully restored of all of the California missions. Purisima
people’s day, held regularly, is when the docents get into their Mission attire and show us how it was done in the olden days.
They bake bread, in the stone ovens, that you can sample. They will make and fry tortillas that you can sample and even make
yourself if you wish. Jams, jellies. Samples and demonstrations of all sorts are taking place
Vandenberg Air Force Base is adjacent to Lompoc with available tours of the base and seeing a missile launch is a thrill no
matter how many times you might have seen one go out of sight into space or down the test range for testing the missile
defense of our country.
Solvang, a Danish community, Santa Barbara, Hearst Castle are all a day trip away. Vineyards and wine tasting are available
nearby. Paso Robles has an annual Mid-State-Fair that is known for it’s top name entertainment. Also Paso Robles has an
annual air show and fly in. Santa Maria has an annual military fly-in as well.
My best suggestion is to check the Lompoc Online Pages regularly and then try the link to the Lompoc Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber will be glad to recommend events and give you activities information. They can tell you about our mild weather and where to stay locally.
Our Lompoc Answerman, Don Pond is a long time resident of Lompoc. He used to build houses, is now retired, and likes to build websites.
"The satisfaction is much the same. You start with a bare piece of ground or paper, layout and build, make changes as you go. With a house you remodel 'till you sell, and then let someone else do the remodeling."
So far Don says he has not been able to dispose of any websites. When Don thinks a website is completely finished, just like a house, he gets called upon to go back and "remodel." He thinks that building websites is much like being married, "a life's commitment, with no chance of a divorce or separation."
You can see some of Don's handywork at the following sites:
USS Bangust
-- A first-class site is a must-see for Bangust sailors, descendants and friends, as well as history buffs. Contains first-person stories, photos, remembrances and touching songs.
North County Rentals -- Provides information, educational materials, rental forms and member support, all pertaining to the operation of rental housing.
GT Auto Sales -- A unique, fairly-priced selection of previously owned vehicles for sale.
Wiser Property Management and Sales-- Properties for rent and sale, plus property management service.
