Holy Lots of Sunflowers
As I stood there, still trying to take it all in, another visitor walked up beside me and exclaimed with a smile, “Don’t they just make you want to smile?” She couldn’t have been more right. Everywhere I looked, there were smiles and chatter. Families posed for photos, couples leaned close for selfies, and children laughed as they darted between the rows. The entire scene was one of snapshots and smiles, a shared experience where strangers quickly became friends. People offered to take pictures for each other, passing cameras and phones back and forth as if we were all part of the same extended family and I guess for those special moments, we were.
Of course, I wasn’t about to miss the chance to capture my own memory. Standing beside my husband, Blain, I snapped a selfie with sunflowers towering behind us. We even managed the nearly impossible task of getting our two dogs to sit still, both of them gazing in the same direction at just the right moment. It took some effort (and a lot of patience), but the result was worth it! I now have a photo that will forever remind me of this balmy September day.
I first learned about this sunflower adventure opportunity while scrolling through Facebook one evening. I happened upon the Sunflower Watch Lesher Poultry Farm PA Facebook page, where a post announced that the fields were in full bloom and ready for visitors. My adventurous heart leapt. I’m always on the lookout for new experiences and hidden gems in our region, and this seemed too good to pass up. My husband, being the flexible man that he is, agreed to be a willing participant.
Lesher Poultry Farm, located just outside Chambersburg, is no small operation when it comes to sunflowers. The farm boasts 210 acres of them, and with approximately 25,000 flowers per acre, that adds up to about 5.25 million sunflowers in full bloom! Standing among them, it felt as if I were in the middle of something much larger than myself, and both literally and figuratively, I was.
In a world that often feels busy, rushed, and consumed with screens and deadlines, it was refreshing to pause and appreciate something so simple and beautiful. We live in a big world filled with many wonders, but sometimes we overlook the treasures in our own backyard. Pennsylvania is full of hidden spots like this, moments of beauty that don’t require a plane ticket or a long vacation.
So, if you’re looking for a way to brighten your day and your social media page, I encourage you to make the trip. Grab a friend, round up your family, or just take yourself for a well-deserved escape. Gas up the car, let that chore list wait for one more day, and go lose yourself in a field of sunflowers.
The Lesher Poultry Farm is located at 2771 Springview Drive, Chambersburg, PA. To keep up with field conditions and bloom updates, follow their Facebook page at Sunflower Watch Lesher Poultry Farm PA, or @sunflowerwatch on Instagram.
Take it from me, this is one experience that will make you smile long after the last petal has fallen.
Rhonda S. Kelley, Executive Director
Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce