FESTIVAL

Then a cold snap came and killed almost all the peach trees growing on the land. Sunflowers quickly emerged as a natural plan B.

“It was a case of improvisation,” said John “Mitch” Lynd, the former president of the farm and a retired partowner. “We had to think fast. All farmers need to be resourceful people.”

That sentiment was shared throughout the Lynd family.

“Plan B might end up being better than plan A,” coowner Andy Lynd said with a laugh.

Weather has been a recurring issue for the Lynds and other Ohio farmers over the past two years. Last year, the family canceled its popular pick-your-own Honeycrisp apples for the first time after more than 50% of the apples at the farm fell victim to bitter rot — a plague caused by heavy rain and intense heat.

“Terrible,” John Lynd said of last year. “Worst we’ve ever been hit.”

Luckily, the weather hasn’t affected the crop for this fall.

“They’re beautiful this year,” he said. “No sign of disease anywhere.” The Lynd family moved from South Point to land along Morse Road 100 years ago. Apples have been a mainstay at the farm ever since.

In total, the farm has more than 80,000 apple trees over 500-plus acres. Lynd’s pickyour-own apples has been a yearly event for countless central Ohio families, but that’s not where the attractions stop. The farm also features a corn maze and a 10,000-square-foot market, selling everything from onion ring mix to fresh fruits and produce.

Gloria Beckner, a Banner, Wyoming, resident visiting her son-in-law, has shopped the market two times a week for the five weeks she’s been in Ohio.

“We don’t have anything like this near where I live,” she said while buying corn at Lynd’s on Wednesday. “Everything here is so fresh. I love it.”

After the festival, the Lynd family is preparing to finally plant black raspberries. Until then, however, all of central Ohio will be able to celebrate the Lynd family and their commitment to the area through sunflowers.

“There’s nothing happier than a sunflower,” said Bonnie Ruder, a general manager at the Lynd market. “Everyone’s going to be surrounded by 10 aces of them. It’s going to be a happy time.”

Tickets for the festival are $15 per person when purchased in advance on the Lynd’s farm website at https://lyndfruitfarm.com/. Tickets are $20 at the gate.