2024
Sunflower Festival
June is National Dairy Month, and what better way to celebrate than in the Sunflower field, with one of the last dairy farms in the area?!? We hope you'll join us at the Sunflower Festival to learn more about our dairy and the dairy industry!
Join us on Thursday June 20 for local favorites, Slate River Quintet. featuring Goochland's own Michelle, Nick, and Trace Nixon.
Bring a chair or blanket, and come enjoy a mix of bluegrass and country music, delicious food from River City Wood Fire Pizza and more! Adult beverages will be available, with proceeds to benefit local nonprofit, CJ's Thumbs Up.
Our 5K Dairy Fun Run will be at 8am on Saturday
June 29, 2024.
This is an untimed trail run/walk around the sunflower field. Since we are primarily a working dairy and grain farm and June is Dairy month, we encourage all participants to dress in costumes depicting dairy life such as dairy animals and/or dairy products. Dogs are welcome on a leash. Strollers are not recommended as the course has rough terrain. Race participants may have immediate access to our Sunflower festival upon completion of their race.
Things
To
Know
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Pick Your Own (Sunflower) Patch
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*Please bring your own ​scissors or pruning sheers, sunflower stems are thick and hard to break*
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Pre-cut flowers are also available
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This is an outside festival on a farm. Please dress appropriately. Closed toe shoes are strongly encouraged.
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*No outside food or drinks (2 unopened water bottles are allowed).
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While dogs are allowed (on leashes), please use your best judgement due to the summer heat.*
Photographers Welcome
Directions
Although our field does not have an address you can try this link to Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/QVg8QP8SfxutZgpu9
OR
try use this address and follow the signs: 1080 Seay Road, Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103
The festival will take place 0.5mile east of Shallow Well Road on Seay Road in Manakin-Sabot, VA 23103 (10 minutes west of Short Pump off of Broad Street Road (Rt. 250)).
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From EAST - Richmond/Short Pump:
Going west on I-64 take exit 173 Rockville/Manakin. Turn left off the exit onto Ashland Road (Rt 623) and continue for 1.2 miles. Turn right at the stop light onto Broad Street Road (US 250 W) and continue for 4.8 miles. Turn right onto Shallow Well Road (Rt 654) for 0.8 miles. Turn right onto Seay Road (Rt 626) and the festival will be on your left.
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From WEST - Charlottesville:
Going east on I-64 take exit 167 Oilville. Turn left off the exit onto Oilville Road (Rt 617) and continue straight for 1.4 miles. Turn right onto Shallow Well Road (Rt 654) for 0.7 miles. Turn left onto Seay Road (Rt 626) and the festival will be on your left.
Seeking Sponsors
Are you looking for an opportunity to support the community and get in front of happy faces? We are looking for local business to sponsor our event. We greatly appreciate your support if you are interested in sponsoring, just reach out!
Interested in being a Vendor?
Ready to get in front of your customers while enjoying the beautiful backdrop of a sunflower field? Please fill out the vendor application at the link below and we will get back with you to confirm your acceptance.
We look forward to welcoming art/craft/retail, entertainment, non-profits, food trucks/food vendors, and other local businesses!
Sunflowers make an amazing natural prop or backdrop! We love supporting local businesses and truly enjoy seeing all of the fabulous memories shared on social media! *Please don't forget to tag us on social media :)*
We are offering several options for photographers this year! Check out the application below for more details.
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Interested in holding mini-sessions during the festival? Fill out our application at the button link below.
Professional photography fees (described in the application) apply if you are taking photos for the purpose of:
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Selling your images commercially and/or as a business
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Taking session photos for hire (portraits, lifestyle, fashion, etc.)
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Our 50 acre sunflower field will be in peak bloom this June, and we are SO excited to welcome everyone out for some fresh air for our 6th Annual “Sunflower Festival at Alvis Farms"! We are hosting this event to share the beauty of the sunflowers with the community, to educate the community about our agricultural roots, as well as to diversify our family farm’s revenue and sustainability for future farming. We are thankful for the community's support and are so excited to offer this opportunity for families to enjoy our sunflowers! A portion of the proceeds will be donated back to various Goochland community groups just as we did last year!
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With an increase in alternative food choices, a depressed milk price, and high input costs, family farms across the nation are going out of business at a record rate. We are proud to have been a working dairy farm in Goochland since 1965, and have been farming the land for even longer. Community outreach, and education, is something we strive to do as often as possible. We’re excited to be hosting this Sunflower Festival, which will help us continue to farm and be an active part of keeping Goochland rural.
Farm Festival Policy
Sunflowers are extremely popular photography backdrops and props. We are excited to offer our family farm's sunflower fields as a location for making memories, a place to gather with customers, and for photographers to utilize this summer! We love having friends and family out to visit, and we always enjoy seeing our farm featured in your beautiful photos! We are a working farm and we ask that you respect this private property. If you plan to visit our sunflower fields we ask that you follow our guidelines below.
Festival attendees, vendors, and photographers are permitted under the following guidelines:
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The Sunflower Festival at Alvis Farms will be June 28-30, 2024. No one is allowed on property after event hours without a confirmed scheduled private appointment (see below). When we are not open to the public, you may only enter with special permission.
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ATTENTION - Under Virginia law, there is no liability for an injury to or death of a participant in an agritourism activity conducted at this agritourism location if such injury or death results from the inherent risks of the agritourism activity. Inherent risks of agritourism activities include, among others, risks of injury inherent to land, equipment, and animals, as well as the potential for you to act in a negligent manner that may contribute to your injury or death. You are assuming the risk of participating in this agritourism activity.
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All farm policies must be followed. You must remain in designated open areas, and pay for any flowers you pick which should only be done in the Pick Your Own Patch. Picking is not encouraged anywhere else on the property. Please do not climb trees, flatten flowers, litter, or act in any unsafe manner. Please be respectful and aware of other people and our flowers. We are a family farm, appropriate attire must be worn at all times. We allow a camera only. No lighting, ladders, props, etc. Stay on the paths. No picture is worth damaging the field for others. Stay off all farm equipment including and not limited to tractors, etc. Do not enter neighboring fields. Do not open any gates. Do not climb on fences. Park in designated parking areas only. All attendees must be fully and appropriately clothed (i.e., no nudity, swimsuits, lingerie, etc.) No alcoholic beverages may be brought onto the premises. No smoking will be permitted on the premises. Photography sessions may not disrupt visitor access, employee access, or special events. We expect all visitors to be respectful of our farm, our animals and our fields at all times. Anyone not abiding by any portion of this policy will be asked to leave the farm immediately. Our policies are subject to change without notice.
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We welcome canvas artists or landscape artists to use the fields. We request that you follow the guidelines above.
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Professional and novice photographers where ever possible, we ask that you provide us with quality photos that we could use for marketing purposes, with permissions as we would like to also support your business and highlight your work as well.
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If you are taking photography/videography for advertising or mass media purposes, please contact us in advance; we are happy to work with you if we are able. A different fee schedule may apply.
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No drone/aerial photography is permitted at any time without permission from management.
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If you are on our property without permission during non-event hours, you are trespassing. We do prosecute. This is a working family farm and our crops are our livelihood. Alvis Farms reserves the right to refuse admittance for photography or videography and/or change its photo policy without advanced notice. Some areas of the farm may not be available the day of your shoot due to Alvis Farms programming, events or unforeseen circumstances.
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All attendees agree to hold harmless Alvis Farms and their agents, staff and family from any injury while on the property.
Please respect our private property, help us keep the insurance lady happy, and enjoy your photos and memories by following our guidelines!