Wake Up Q

Good Stuff: 400 Acres of Sunflowers are the symbol of Love

Babbette2

A 66-year-old woman in Wisconsin named Babbette Jaquish lost her battle with cancer last November.  So her 65-year-old husband Don decided to pay tribute to her in a pretty incredible way.

 

The two of them owned a farm in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and after Babbette was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2006, she said she wanted to start growing sunflowers . . . and sell the seeds to raise money for cancer research.

So this past spring, he planted 400 ACRES of them along both sides of the road next to their property.  And if you drive by their place now, the sunflowers go on for four-and-a-half MILES.  (Here’s a video of them.)

Don and his family plan to start selling the seeds soon, and they’re putting Babbette’s story on the back of every bag.

He told ABC News he wanted to do something big to show people how much he loved her, because, quote, “Everyone that ever met Babbette fell in love with her.  I was just lucky enough to be the guy that SHE fell in love with.”

Headlines

17 minutes ago in Business, Community, Local, National, Politics, Regional

Shutdown causing cancelled flights at Ithaca airport, officials say

Fresh

ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — Across the country, airports are experiencing delayed or cancelled flights. The Ithaca Tompkins International Airport is…

1 hour ago in Sports

Ohio State stays on top of playoff bracket, while Miami makes a big move

Fresh

Not surprisingly, Ohio State stayed at the top of the rankings, and there was a healthy debate about whether last weekend's action warranted keeping Indiana at No. 2, one spot ahead of Texas A&M.

5 hours ago in Community, Government, Local, Politics

Dawson worried about rising costs of COG project

Tompkins County Legislator Deborah Dawson is concerned about rising costs for the Center of Government building project.

5 hours ago in Community, Education, Local

Proposed ICSD-ITA contract includes longer workday

Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown tells 607 News Now the workday would expand to 7 hours and 20 minutes each weekday except Wednesdays.

6 hours ago in Community, Government, Health, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Local, Regional

All ByHeart infant formula products recalled over botulism concern

The recall, which was first reported over the weekend, was expanded to include all ByHeart products on November 10 due to an ongoing nationwide outbreak of infant botulism.

6 hours ago in Community, Lifestyle, Local

Feed FLX Pets initiative collecting donations in Tompkins County

The Feed FLX Pets initiative is collecting donations to help families in need avoid choosing between cost-of-living expenses and keeping their pet while federal benefits are cut off.