Almost everyone has had a rough year so far. Kenosha County has recently been at unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake, and people could use a little bit of sunshine through this chaotic year. A farmer in Wisconsin wants to provide just that by planting more than two million sunflowers, hoping to make people smile.
Located near Kenosha, Wisconsin, in Bristol, the Thompson Strawberry Farm has been owned and managed by Scott Thompson and family for more than 70 years. During the summer, the fields are usually planted with strawberries, while raspberries and pumpkins are grown in the fall. Tourists and visitors are welcome to pick their harvests from the farm every season.
This year, however, the Thompson family thought that it would be nice to spread a little happiness to their customers with everything going on. Thus the family started planting sunflowers instead onto their fields and ended up with more than 22 acres of flowers, with 15 acres already in bloom. Over 2 million sunflowers are spread out in more than fifteen fields to provide room for social distancing. Visitors are also welcome to roam around and take home the flowers they picked.
“As the season went on, the pandemic never went anywhere … and we thought people might be looking for something to do, and what a great way to social distance and … smile, basically…”We get all these comments on Facebook, or if I’m out in the field, everybody is like, ‘Thanks for doing this,’ (and) ‘This is what I needed.’ People are so happy to be out there and have a place to go.”
Scott Thompson
Also, zinnias, wildflowers, and Mexican sunflowers have been planted in the fields, attracting many butterflies in the area. In September, sunflowers and zinnias are available to pick by the dozen for $25 per car, with $1 for each extra flower or $10 for an additional dozen. Photography sessions are also allowed as long as visitors pay for the clients and tag the farm on their social media posts. The pick-your-own raspberries and pumpkins will also be available soon as the fall season starts.
The flower farm has been met with a warm and happy response by people, near or far the county. Only a few more weeks are left before the sunflower season ends, and the Thompson family has promised they would continue offering this even without the pandemic.
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