PATASKALA, Ohio — At Lynd Fruit Farm, memories are made one sunflower at a time. The family business has been in operation for 101 years and the generations of employees aim to make it a place other families can enjoy.
“It's really hard not to be happy in a field full of sunflowers,” said Cody Wilcox, one of the many Lynd family members who work on the property.
“I married my wife Angie Lynd, who is a sixth-generation Lynd, six years ago,” said Wilcox. “Getting to work with family is really special.”
Wilcox's latest project includes overseeing S'miles of Sunflowers. The special summer event features 30 different varieties. Visitors may access the entire patch, pick their favorite flowers and take them home.
Props set throughout the patch provide the perfect backdrop to capture memories.
“Creating memorable experiences is becoming more and more people's focus,” said Wilcox. “We have an abundance of ways to do that here at the farm and it means a lot to me to be contributing to that for other people for generations.”
Spanning generations is something the Lynds take very seriously. Three generations of Lynd family members currently work at the farm under the guidance of current president, and oldest active member, Lester Lynd.
“What's most important is the chemistry between all of us,” said Lynd. “We enjoy our work, we love growing food and we love selling it to our customers so that's what motivates us the most.”
S'miles of Sunflowers runs at the farm's Pataskala location through August and at the Urbana location through September. On the weekends, the event also features food trucks and live music.
In the fall, Lynd Fruit Farm will host their pick-your-own apple season as well as a corn maze. The farms market, featuring local and specialty items, is open daily.
For other activities around the state, click here.