Weekend festival bloomed bright with sunflowers

Jennifer Manfrin

Correspondent

Seth Jackson and Jocelyn Green of Coshocton attended the Sunflower Festival on Friday evening. It was a good way to start off her 22nd birthday weekend, Jocelyn said.

COSHOCTON - While the weekend weather may have been cloudy and rainy at times, there was plenty of sun at the Coshocton KOA – the kind that blossoms into bright, colorful blooms.

That's where the campground staff hosted the first Coshocton Sunflower Festival that featured three acres of the beloved flowers.

The beauty on display impressed Seth Jackson and Jocelyn Green, both of Coshocton, as they came out to the event to celebrate.

“Tomorrow is my birthday, and we wanted to start the weekend off right,” said Jocelyn of her upcoming 22nd birthday.

Seth agreed that it was a nice event to enjoy on a Friday evening, and was impressed with what he saw.

“I didn't know there were so many different kinds of sunflowers. This is really an amazing site,” he said of the acres displaying 20 different varieties.

Ryan McPeek, co-owner of Coshocton KOA, said that he was inspired to hold the Sunflower Festival when someone suggested he turn some of the grounds into fields of sunflowers.

Teri and Gary Ruse of Palatka, Florida, have watched the progress of the sunflower fields over the past few months. Originally from Coshocton, the couple makes their home at the campground during the summer.

“It's been neat watching it progress,” Teri said, as the couple browsed the rows of numerous varieties of sunflowers. “It's amazing how much they've grown in the past few weeks.”

“I think it's a really cool event. The McPeeks do a great job at the campground,” Gary said.

Ryan McPeek, co-owner of Coshocton KOA, said he was inspired to hold the event when he was given the idea of turning some of the grounds into fields of sunflowers.

“A couple of our friends encouraged us to plant sunflowers, so we thought it was a great idea. We also like to bring events to the county that bring people to Coshocton,” McPeek added.

In addition to the acres of sunflowers, the festival included vendors, food, and entertainment. Participants took wagon rides to the fields where they had their choice of a cut sunflower. Additional cut sunflowers were also available for purchase.

Planning for the event began in April, and planting of the sunflower seeds started in May.

The sunflower fields are located where the giant corn maze had been in past years. This year, McPeek's Mighty Maze is located closer to the campground area.

The event also featured a variety of vendors, food, and entertainment that included a kids' fun area and petting zoo. Participants enjoyed wagon rides to the festivities and each one had the choice of cut sunflower. Additional cut sunflowers were also available for purchase.

A popular attraction for the visitors was taking photos among the sunflowers. The fields were divided in areas such as The Wilds with many varieties, Sea of Giants with towering type of sunflowers, the Sea of Yellow with traditional sunflowers and many props were placed throughout the fields for unique photo opportunities.

“Taking pictures in sunflower fields is very popular right now,” said McPeek, who plans to make the event an annual attraction.

The KOA campground staff hosted the first Coshocton Sunflower Festival over the weekend, that featured three acres of the beloved flowers in a variety of sizes and colors.

“We have the space for it, and we've done all the leg work. We've also had a good response from the community,” said McPeek, who plans to make the event an annual attraction.

For more information on this or the Mighty Maze which opens on Sept. 14, visit www.mcpeeksmightymaze.com.