Thursday, April 9, 2026

Poppy Fields and Passport Stamps: A Festival Aims to Bring Altadena’s Shoppers Back

[photo credit: Eventbrite]

René Amy planted 250 million seeds on fire-scarred lots; now the Pasadena Jaycees are building a daylong event around the bloom

On Saturday, April 18, visitors to Altadena will be handed a free passport booklet at the Grocery Outlet on Lake Avenue and sent on a driving tour through the community — stopping to see California poppies blooming across fire-damaged lots and collecting stamps at small businesses along the way. Complete the route, and there are prizes.

The Great Altadena Poppy Festival, organized by the Pasadena Jaycees, is designed to do something specific: get customers back inside the doors of Altadena businesses that have struggled with lost foot traffic since the Eaton Fire destroyed more than 9,000 structures in January 2025, according to the organization’s website. Admission is free. Many participating businesses are offering discounts, the Jaycees said.

The festival grew from one resident’s grief and a lot of poppy seeds. René Amy, an Altadena activist and longtime Jaycees volunteer, lost his home in the fire. Starting in late 2025, he began sowing California poppy seeds across fire-damaged properties at no cost to owners — a project he called “poppification.” Registrations kept climbing past 500, past 600. Nearly 700 property owners signed up, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. With help from an anonymous $5,000 donation and smaller contributions from the Altadena Rotary Club, Realtex Builders and Altadena Grocery Outlet, Amy purchased 250 million seeds — more than double his original goal of 100 million, according to Pasadena Now.

“Folks need hope these days — I know that I do,” Amy said in a statement when the project launched. “California poppies exemplify beauty, grace and resilience. They will grow and flower in the toughest conditions.”

The Altadena Chamber of Commerce, Altadena Heritage, the Altadena Historical Society, Amigos de los Rios and Altadena Troop 1 Scouts all helped distribute and sow the seeds, according to Pasadena Now. NBC Los Angeles reported on March 31 that poppies had begun blooming in Altadena, though a record-dry March may have limited the scale.

The Jaycees, formally known as the Pasadena Junior Chamber of Commerce, have organized community service projects in the Pasadena area since 1929. The group said it stepped in to support Amy’s existing work and build the festival around local business participation. Festival-goers pick up their passport booklets at Grocery Outlet, 2270 Lake Ave., Altadena, and then follow a route through the community, according to the Jaycees’ website.

The poppies carry a historical weight. In the early 1900s, California poppies covered Altadena so densely that promotional materials called the area the “Altar Cloth of San Pasqual,” according to Pasadena Now. The flower appears on the Altadena Town Council seal. Streets named Poppyfields and Las Flores still mark that era.

“Altadena was once a destination for those seeking the beauty of our golden poppy fields,” Veronica Jones, president of the Altadena Historical Society, said in a statement to Pasadena Now.

Val Zavala, president of Altadena Heritage, said the flower fits the moment. “The beauty and resilience of the California poppy is the perfect metaphor for Altadena’s recovery,” Zavala said, according to Pasadena Now.

The festival runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the event listing. RSVP is available through Eventbrite. More information is at pasadenajaycees.org/the-great-altadena-poppy-project/ or by calling the Jaycees at (626) 792-5146.

“My hope is that in subsequent years and decades, Altadena is once again justifiably renowned for its poppies,” Amy told AFP this spring. “It’s a way to bind us together, and yes, to remember our history, where we’ve come from, and to look forward to the future.”

THE GREAT ALTADENA POPPY FESTIVAL Date & Time: Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Venue: Grocery Outlet 2270 Lake Ave. Altadena, CA 91101 | Phone Number: 626-792-5146 | Website: https://pasadenajaycees.org/the-great-altadena-poppy-project/