Spanish Fork farm holds U-pick tulip festival to give locals springtime farm experience

SPANISH FORK —A farm in Spanish Fork is turning what is traditionally a viewing-only experience into a hands-on extravaganza — with tulips.

A few years ago, Kara Lewis, who helps runs Leland Legacy Farms, said the idea came about to have a tulip festival where people could come and pick their own tulips to take home. This idea, she said, came on the heels of many things that her family-run farm has been doing to bring people to experience farm life.

"Our family has been farming in the Spanish Fork area for over 160 years, doing traditional farming of alfalfa, corn, barley and raising beef and cattle," Lewis told KSL. "About nine years ago, we decided to do a corn maze and pumpkin patch, which has been a lot of fun. Then we were thinking about how we could bring something to the community in the spring. That's where the idea of doing a tulip festival came."

That idea turned into action last fall, when the family planted 250,000 bulbs of 70 different varieties with the hope that rows and rows of colorful tulips would bloom come spring. And as of this week, all that hard work has paid off, and the tulips are ready to be picked.

"The difference with this type of tulip festival is that we're inviting the community to go out into the farm and be able to pick their own bouquets of tulips and get right down next to the tulips," she said. "We really want everything on our farm to be very hands-on."

Lewis, who is a counselor at Salem Hills High School, said events like these are important for people of all ages. She sees the benefits that are gained by many of her students who spend time outside and in their communities. She also said that when people spend time on a farm, even if it's just being there, they appreciate the important role farmers play in the community.

"I see the benefits of getting teenagers off their phones and outside," Lewis said. "Running these activities at the farm for the past nine years, I've really started to see that people don't have that connection to the farm anymore.

"People are about four generations removed from the farm, and we want people to come out and see that farmers are still here. They are still producing. In this case, it's more of a fun activity to come out, but they'll still see our cattle. They'll see our operation and see that we're still producing food and crops, and you can actually get to meet those people in our community."

Along with the spring tulip-blooming season, it's also baby animal season. When visitors come to the farm to pick tulips, she said they will also be able to see many of the new animals that have been born.

"We have a lot of baby calves, and we are going to have some baby animals at the farm during the festival as well. We want to invite the public to experience life on the farm because I think that's really something that is lacking nowadays," she said.

Opening day for what they are calling the Utah Tulip Festival will be Monday, April 6, at 1238 W. 6800 South Street in Spanish Fork. Admission starts at $13.95, and tulips can be purchased individually or $15 for a bouquet of 10.

"You can actually see the flowers from the freeway," she said. "As you're driving south of Spanish Fork Main Street, you will be able to look over to the right, and you'll be able to see a big field field of color."

Related topics