Farm to hold first Sunflower Festival
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
Schwirian Farm in Forward Township will open to the public for the first time this weekend.
The farm, which Leslee Schwirian and her husband, Jay, describe as a dream come true, will host Mon Valley residents Saturday and Sunday for the family’s first-ever Sunflower Festival.
The Schwirian family has lived in the home, which sits on more than 80 acres, for almost 30 years.
As a young couple moving from place to place in the 1990s, they found their current farm and home in 1994 and knew it was the perfect place to raise their family.
When the farm started, the family had four sheep, two horses and rolling sunflower fields.
Their children, Laura, Andrew and Jackie grew up learning the value of a hard day’s work and the beauty and production that come along with it.
The farm has grown significantly since the family settled in. They now specialize in raising sheep and making handmade wool socks that Leslee has sold online since 2013.
The socks are made from 100% natural wool fiber from alpaca, sheep, yak, camel and goats and can be worn year round, but are most popular during the winter.
The sunflowers in bloom each summer were originally planted to provide food for other animals on the farm.
In addition to sheep, the family also cares for miniature horses for their grandchildren, Judy, Artie, Payton and Hayden.
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