South Bend farm opens for fall activities, including field with over 1 million sunflowers

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SOUTH BEND, Ind.—Thistleberry Farm in South Bend is back open for the fall season with activities like corn mazes, pumpkin patches and a huge sunflower field.

In July, the farm opened for 10 days for people to come check out its popular sunflower field.

During those 10 days, about 13,000 people showed up for a photo op, driving from as far as Tennessee to enjoy the field.

“There was a Facebook post that kind of went viral, I think it had about a million and a half views. Things got a lot busier than we thought they would. We had people coming from Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit and from all other,” said co-owner Dave Frushour.

Other flowers at the farm include mums and zinnias. 

Props for photographers to use in the field range from "old-timey" swings and couches to an old John Deer tractor and a Scooby Doo Mystery Machine.

Frushour and his sister run the farm that is deeply rooted in their own family’s history.

“My grandparents actually bought the farm back in 1945 and so this is where we grew up,” Frushour said.

Over the years, the siblings have made a few changes, like adding in the corn maze, sunflower field, and pumpkin patch.

The farm is asking that people interested in purchasing tickets for the sunflower field do so in advance on its website in order to keep numbers manageable and ensure there’s plenty of social distancing.

“We’re doing our best to be careful,” Frushour said.

Frushour said that while the activities are outside and most areas allow for social distancing, visitors should still bring a face mask just in case they are near others.

In the farm’s gift shop, visitors can find items like homemade fudge, baked goods and popcorn.

Fall activities for the family include pony rides, corn mazes, pedal cars, jumping pillows, a super slide, and more, Frushour said.

Hand washing stations are available at the farm for visitors to use.

For more information about hours of operation and tickets for the farm, located at 61391 Mayflower Road, visit the farm's website

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