Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival Starts Tomorrow

September 4, 2025 Tanner Keith

The Botetourt Bee visited Beaver Dam Farm to speak with Candace Monaghan about the generational history of the farm and the 10th year of the festival.

The Wickline Family has owned Beaver Dam Farm since the very beginning. In 1916, it was a tomato cannery. In the 1920s, after a widespread tomato blight, the Wicklines changed the operation to a dairy farm. For 92 years and through three generations, great-grandfather, grandfather, and father, Candace’s family worked and ran the dairy farm.

Candace’s father, Preston Wickline, planted 20 acres of black oil sunflowers in 2015 just because, “he liked them.” The seed was planted. In 2016, the dairy farm was still operating, but like any farm, bills for loans, repairs, and new equipment can grow as fast as the crops. Sitting at the dining room table, going over the finances, with the sunflowers 2 weeks from bloom, the idea had taken root. Candace recalls saying, “If people pay to walk through dead corn, surely they’d come out here and pay to walk to sunflowers. Let’s have a sunflower festival.”

The goal for the first year of the festival in 2016 was 300 visitors. 1,600 showed up. Now, growing year after year, the goal is 20,000 visitors to Beaver Dam Farm for its 10th Sunflower Festival.

Candace Monaghan has told this story enough times that it could be memorized, but her love of the farm and festival is apparent with every telling. This year brings a new way to tell the story: a children’s book. From Seeds to Sunshine: Our Farm’s Journey is now available for purchase at the festival and on Amazon. Written by Candace Monaghan, illustrated by Margie Yoder, with finishing art also by Candace Monaghan.

In 2019, due to rising costs, the family sold out of the dairy business and now raises beef cattle, in addition to hay, straw, corn, and, of course, the sunflowers. Once the festival is over, the seeds are harvested and processed to be sold as birdseed for Northwest ACE Hardware. The black oil sunflower isn’t your typical edible sunflower seed; it can be pressed for oil, which has many uses. One unique use was a collaboration with A Few Old Goats Brewing and the limited batch of Sunflower Beer called Buzz’d Bloom.

The 10th Annual Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival runs from September 5th to the 14th. For tickets, events, and more information, visit their website:
www.beaverdamsunflowers.com
The sunflower festival entrance is 13561 Lee Highway in Buchanan, Virginia.

This year, the Sunflower Festival will feature over 100 vendors, a butterfly release on Friday, hayrides, live music, and 12 photo booths.

Candace would like to give an extra special thanks to the sponsors of the Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival.

Please remember to only visit the farm during the hours of operation!