When it comes to something that makes her feel peaceful and happy, Karen Nicklaus says there’s nothing better than seeing springtime flowers.
“I’ve gotten flowers many years for Mother’s Day but, in some ways, this is even better,” Nicklaus said as she walked along a path strewn with flowers accompanied by her sisters Saturday morning during a special Mother’s Day weekend event at Windy Acres Farm in an unincorporated area near Geneva.
“I found out about this event through Facebook,” Nicklaus, of Hinsdale, said. “Flowers are beautiful with the colors and the smells and are just pretty to look at. Having something like this in my yard would be really nice.”
The Mother’s Day Flower Walk, which began on Saturday, will continue from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the farm, 37W446 Fabyan Parkway. It includes 10 specially-created outdoor flower-scapes for those who bought a ticket, which also includes a specialty beverage and a baked dessert. For ticket information, go to https://windyacresfarmstand.com/.
Amanda Srail, a member of the family that owns the farm and who serves as a manager at the site, said the newly-launched event was all about creating more year-round visibility for the farm as well as honoring her late mother.
“Next year is our 40th anniversary and we have our fruit festivals and our huge pumpkin fests which have been going on for a long time, but this is the inaugural year for this,” she said of the Mother’s Day weekend offering. “My mother, who passed away two years ago, she was the green thumb. Her passion was this season.
“We plant thousands of gorgeous – all varieties – of flowers and we just kind of wanted to do something special in the springtime to honor her and let people know we’re here all four seasons,” she said.
Srail said the 10 different stations at the event involve “teaching visitors about all the flowers and plants” with different themes, “as well as live music, a beverage garden open with spring floral cocktails and slushies and treats.”
“It’s just a great way to honor your mom and bring her out here and enjoy the springtime and the flowers and the colors and have fun together,” she said.
Live string music was heard as visitors on Saturday strolled along the path that led to the various displays.
A visitor on Saturday checks out one of the 10 flower-scapes offered at the first-ever Mother’s Day Flower Walk at Windy Acres Farm near Geneva. The event concludes on Sunday. (David Sharos / For The Beacon-News)
All of the themed flower-scapes will be for sale after the event ends on Sunday, organizers said.
Chloe Munoz, 17, of Elgin, was offering samples of honey to visitors at the event Saturday.
“The people here worked really hard on these displays and tried to make things really elegant,” she said. “I’ve got honey samples for people to try. I think people are going to be impressed with what they see here.”
Michelle Pfister of Batavia said having one of the flower-scapes at the farm versus a bouquet for Mother’s Day “would be pretty nice.”
Batavia resident Michelle Pfister checks out a flower-scape focusing on herbs Saturday during the Mother’s Day Flower Walk at Windy Acres Farm near Geneva. The event is set to end on Sunday. (David Sharos / For The Beacon-News)
“I’m a big flower lover,” she said. “I used to be even more into them until I moved into an apartment, but I have a balcony, and I put flowers out. For me, flowers make me happy and they’re beautiful.”
Dianne Valentino of Bartlett came with her daughter and grandson and declared the 10 stations at Windy Acres Farm to be “beautiful. We come here for every occasion.”
“For me, flowers brighten up the day and put a smile on my face,” she said. “I enjoy my daughter and my grandson and they’re enjoying them too.”
Valentino’s daughter Lauren Valentino, also of Bartlett, said she comes to the farm almost every week and called Saturday’s event “new and something different.”
“The farm is trying to incorporate different things and get people to come in and see what’s going on,” she said. “I could definitely see this becoming a tradition out here.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
