Sunflower field opens to public adjacent to the Legacy Barn

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Western District Historical Society opened the sunflower field behind the legacy barn for public visitation, Aug. 16, kicking off the fifth year of operation.

“We are not calling it a grand opening; it is just the first night of the sunflower field visits. We are not announcing a bunch of dates just because the heat and a few bugs have taken a bit of a toll on our field,” said Darlene Domaschuk, sunflower field project lead with the Western District Historical Society. 

She explained the field will be open for photo opportunities sporadically throughout the remainder of the summer and into autumn for people to drop in free of charge. 

Though the flowers are not as tall this year as they have historically been, Domaschuk said the field makes for an excellent place to capture some unique and visually interesting photos. 

“History says sunflowers were planted here which were fed to the cattle,” she said. “We are just doing a small replica of what could have been here years ago, and if we do open the barn on the next visit, there are pictures inside of the farmers doing a sunflower harvest with plants which were 10 to 12 feet high. We have four, six, eight-foot sunflowers in our garden.”

According to Domaschuk, public visits to the sunflower field have been steadily growing year after year when openings are hosted. 

She added visitors are also allowed to cut sunflowers to take home during the harvest, later in the year, which typically attracts lineups of people. 

“The big event is really when we have our harvest and we open the field up and people can come and cut as many sunflowers as they want. That is when the driveways are lined up and people just kind of go crazy,” she said. “At this point, we do not know when that is going to be, but we will certainly give the public a week’s notice.”

Though the Historical Society does not charge during operational days for the field, a donation box is present at the gate when people arrive. 

This year, folks who donate may also fill out a ballot to be entered for a digital photograph, captured by one of the Historical Society’s members. A winner will be selected after roughly three or four operational nights. 

Domaschuk added given the size of the team, it is decided year by year whether the project will continue, as they do not have a lot of manpower to maintain the field.

The Historical Society team also plans to host a pumpkin-themed event near the end of the growing season, and will announce more information closer to their planned occasion.