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MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — The annual Sunflower Festival returned to downtown Mountain City this year, with a new location.
Since 2004, the festival has been held in downtown Mountain City to draw people to local businesses, but this year it was held at Johnson County High School.
The school’s parking lot was filled with people enjoying a petting zoo, a bouncy house, train rides, basketball, pageants, live music and plenty of local vendors.
James Jarvis, owner of The Traveling Bear indoor Mini Golf and a nine-hole mobile unit, said his mini golf course includes something people should recognize.
“All of our holes are themed with a place or a business in our Tri-Cities area at our main facility,” James said. “We have a small version of that here with our portable unit. Each hole represents something familiar to our area.”
Anthony Coffey, a vendor at the festival, said setting up a booth is more than just making money.
“I do these locally, and these are oil on canvas on 16 by 20 canvases, I have some of them by 14,” Coffey said. “The prices are donations, so the money goes to taking care of my mother. She’s 87 years old, and I moved back to Boone, [N.C.] to take care of her and make sure she’s happy.”
Everyone there said family was a big part of the day.
“I heard it was a great festival, so why not bring my family and enjoy it with everybody else’s family too,” Jarvis said.
“We always used to pick [sunflowers] and have them in a vase,” Coffey added. “Then we’d set them on the kitchen table or in a box by the window. It’s just always a great memory for me as a child.”
For more information about the festival, click here.