Fields, yards and flowerpots come alive with vibrant yellow sunflowers each July in Clarksville, Missouri, in preparation for the annual Sunflower Days festival. A local coffee shop -- Cool Beans -- provides residents with free seeds in the spring, resulting in plantable spaces throughout town blazing with summer color. Residents and visitors dress in yellow for the event, and city streets pop with yellow balloons, converting the 500-resident agricultural town into a vivid display of festivity.
The Main Event
- Sunflower Days centers around an art contest for which painters, sculptors and photographers render the sunflower scene of their choice in their favorite medium. Judging of the artwork takes place on Sunday afternoon in one of the downtown galleries. One winner receives a cash prize along with exhibition of his winning piece in a local gallery for one month. Local galleries and shops sponsor additional prizes that vary from year to year.
Not Your Usual Festival
- The festival takes place near the end of July when sunflowers usually experience peak bloom, although the height of blooming is, in reality, unpredictable and can vary by as much as two weeks. The event is open to the public with no admission charged. Although you won't find food booths and craft tents, you'll see artisans demonstrating their crafts in their shops and on the sidewalks outside and will find restaurants and cafes with culinary delights to tickle your taste buds.
Wander the Streets
- Peaceful scenes of artists focused on their craft in front of a backdrop of the colorful flowers is the norm during the festival, but you'll find plenty of other visual interest to capture your attention in the riverside town. The historic downtown buildings house the artisans' shops. Browse through artwork designed by potters, glass blowers, jewelers and ironworkers. Craftsmen offer wares for sale including handcrafted boats and furniture, bee products, designer accessories and antiques. Streets and stores are handicapped accessible, and the event maintains family-friendly, alcohol-free standards.
Join the Fun
- If you'd like to enter the festivities as an artist, register with the Clarksville Artist Guild at least a week before the event to receive the discounted preregistration rate. Check in on Saturday morning and you'll receive a map showing the location of the town's many sunflower displays as well as places where participants receive courtesy drinks. The registration fee for artists and their guests includes a boxed breakfast on Saturday morning and a reception and dinner on Saturday night.
