Located just outside of Buchanan is where The Beaver Dam Farm Sunflower Festival is held each September. The farmland was originally purchased in 1900, was a tomato cannery in 1916 and began as a dairy in 1927. In September of 2019 the farm sold out of the dairy industry and now runs beef cattle and has a hay and straw operation. The farm is still owned and operated by the same family today.
In 2015, 30 acres of black oil sunflowers were planted. As a result of the beautiful scenery, the following year the fields were opened up for a one day event for visitors to walk through and adore. With only two weeks to prepare, the family went to work advertising and lining up all the facilities needed in order to host the event. Along with the 700,000 sunflowers, visitors also enjoyed hayrides and farm animals to pet. That day ended with 1,600 people in attendance and the decision was made to make it an annual event moving forward.
As the years have passed more items and events have been added to the festival, making it The Largest Sunflower Festival and Vendor Show on the East Coast. The festival has widely expanded and weekend activities consist of hay wagon rides, a farm animal petting area, over 120 unique hand-made craft and food vendors, photo booths, live music and more. During the weekdays there are three field trip opportunities for preschoolers, senior citizens and special needs kids and adults. There are also evening hours, photography opportunities, the ever-popular catered sunset dinners in the sunflowers, sunset yoga and goat yoga.
“There is something to do for every age! We reach around 20,000 visitors annually with 37 states in attendance,” said owner Candace W. Monaghan
A quote from one of the vendors with a family owned businesses: “We did approximately $5,600 in sales at the Sunflower Festival and $25,000 overall for the year. However, I will say that the majority of our sales after the Sunflower Festival weekends were driven by our presence there.”
A church group in attendance states: “The festival has become 95% of how we raise money for our youth, replacing yard sales, car washes, cake walks, and a plethora of other small fundraisers. This is a youth formation fundraiser that helps us to take the financial burden off the parents.”
In 2023, a yearly economic impact study was performed for the event resulting in a $1.4 million yearly economic impact. “We take pride in the fact that we not only bring in business for the farm but for other businesses all around the county,” Monaghan said. “We are filling the local Airbnb’s with overnight guests, driving visitors to downtown shop locations and sending people to local restaurants as well. We encourage them to make it a day or weekend trip.”
Once the festival is over, the crowds have diminished and the sunflowers have all dropped their heads, the farm will harvest the seed and bag it into black oil sunflower birdseed. Beaver Dam Farm sunflower seeds can be found in Northwest Hardware locations, Ikenberry Orchards and The Best Place Antique Store. There are also seed packets so customers can plant their own seeds in their gardens.
In the fall of 2023, the Monaghans decided that the scenery at the Sunflower Festival location was too beautiful to not share with the rest of the world. This prompted them to open Gracely Hill, an event and wedding venue. The venue itself has been through major renovations since its beginning of being a two-story barn to what it is today. The rustic country views are unmatched by any other with 360 degrees of mountains on every side. Gracely Hill has hosted Homecoming for James River High School students for the past several years and plans to do so moving forward. It is also made available, free of charge, for any Ag- or FFA-related event as a way to give back. It is a great place to host smaller events like bridal showers and birthday parties, family reunions or banquets. The calendar is booked with fall and spring weddings of those who want to capture the gorgeous scenery.
The 2024 Beaver Dam Sunflower Festival will be held September 6-15.
