Through the two acres of sunflowers standing at around five feet tall, the occasional head could be spotted bobbing along in search of the perfect sunflower to pick.
Hickory Ridge Orchard is branching out and celebrating more than just their fruit trees this summer with their first annual sunflower festival.
The two-day event that was held Saturday and Sunday offered all the Hickory Ridge classics, such as the jump pillow, petting zoo, hay rides, Trynette’s food truck, apple cider slushies and live musical performances as well as new additions including lawn games, face painting and coloring stations and pick-your-own sunflowers.
Brandt Schisler, owner of Hickory Ridge Orchard, plans these festivals two months in advance – a tricky feat when he is at nature’s mercy.
“It lined up perfectly where all the sunflowers were blooming the weekend that we had planned this,” he said.
While he would have preferred cooler weather, Schisler said business stayed steady despite the heat and looming storm clouds.
The sunflowers will be blooming for the next few weeks and when they’re finished, Schisler plans to fill the field with a cover crop to enrich the soil and prepare it for pumpkins next year.
He currently has a pumpkin patch started just beyond the sunflowers and has focused his attention on coming up with new and exciting ways to draw a crowd this fall.
“We are trying to think outside the box and do new things that we feel would bring people out but also add an experience for some other people who were already planning on coming,” Schisler said. “Each weekend we’re going to try and have something special going on.”
