SunFest draws crowds to Dix Park, connects people with local businesses

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- It was hot and yellow on Saturday at Dix Park for SunFest, but hey--there's a reason behind the name!

Thousands of people were in awe of the flowers on Saturday at the festival, which ultimately celebrated the future of Dix Park and connected the community with local businesses.

"Beautiful. I didn't realize how big and how many sunflowers there were," said Carly Sidor.

Sadly, because of the lack of rain and this year's heat, the sunflowers didn't peak on Saturday as expected. But for people who were here last year, that didn't matter.

"At first it was not as yellow. Last year there were a lot more sunflowers. But like I said, they're just as beautiful this year as they were last year," said Matthew Nazzar.

And for the White family, the sunflowers were perfect.

"I was about to take a picture with them but there's so much bees on them," McKenzie White said.

Despite the bees, the flowers didn't disappoint. And for a family new to this area, the Whites are proud to now call Raleigh home.

"They're pretty to me. They're beautiful. We're from Connecticut and this is really nice," James White said.

After the blooms, the sunflowers are harvested to process biodiesel fuel for city equipment.