Botetourt’s Sunflower Festival dates depend on Sunflower’s growth!
The 4th Annual Sunflower Festival off Wheatland Road in Buchanan will take place on either the first and second weekends of September or the second and third weekends of September. (People you will need to keep up with The Beaver Dam Farm Sunflowers on Facebook or look for it on The Botetourt Bee when the dates firm up.)
The lack of rain recently on Wheatland Rd has caused a hitch in determining the exact two weekends as one needs blooming sunflowers for the two weekend event. Currently the plants are only 25 inches and need to grow another 3 feet and bloom!
“We did plant the flowers on 21 acres and in two different plantings to insure flowers blooming on both weekends,” said Candace Monahan who runs the event. As an Virginia agritourism initiative, the Sunflower Festival hosted over 12,000 people last year.
Here are some particulars of the event:
19 food vendors each one different from the others in a combination of food trucks and church groups.
46 crafters and all items are handmade.
Here is a tentative schedule:
Monday night between the weekends is Paint Night: Monday AM Goat Yoga, Tuesday Preschool day, Wednesday is Senior citizen Day, Wednesday Evening is Goat Yoga and Thursday is special needs day.
Catered meal in the Sunflowers is $40 and on Friday Evening.
Information can also be found on Instagram at Beaverdam Sunflowers or by checking out the website beaverdamsunflowers.com
On each Saturday there will be a Little Miss Sunflower pageant at 1 p.m. featuring three age divisions.
Monahan said, “The coloring book has been expanded and donated to PreK and K in Botetourt Schools since the older students participated last year. Also coloring books are going to Craig County, Roanoke City Schools, Covington City Schools and Rockbridge County Schools.
The event will be 10-5 Saturday and Sunday of two consecutive weekends. $5 admission and parking available in the big fields.
–story by Cathy Benson and photo courtesy of Candace Monahan.
