By Brett Dunlap
For The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
PARKERSBURG – The West Virginia Beekeeping Conference will be holding their annual Spring meeting in Vienna in February 2027 and are looking for the county’s support to help put it on.
Bob Spencer of the Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers Association appeared before the Wood County Commission on Monday to ask for their support for the event that will take place Feb 18-19 at the Grand Pointe Conference in Vienna.
“That conference is moved around the state every year,” he said. “We haven’t had one in (the) Parkersburg (area) in a long long time.
“One of the problems we have is the facilities.”
The association just had their fall meeting in Morgantown.
Spencer said they are limited to 300 participants “which will make it a nice conference.”
“We will be bringing in multiple speakers from around the United States,” he said. “The conference will bring in beekeepers from West Virginia and from the surrounding states of Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia and Pennsylvania.”
Being a non-profit organization, they are spending all of their available money on being able to put the conference on, Spencer said.
“I am here to ask you if the county commission can supply some support to the show,” he said.
Many of the participants will come into town a day or so early as they are planning to host a number of offsite events.
Spencer is estimating around 200 of those attending will be staying at local hotels “which will represent a bit of an economic impact.”
They are estimated to be bringing in $96,000 to the community.
“I think that is a very conservative estimate and that will be in addition to the $25,000-$30,000 that we will be spending to host the event,” Spencer said. “We are going to do it one way or another.
“We have already booked the venue and paid for the venue. We are excited.”
They have had state representatives from the state beekeepers group in to look over everything in preparation. They have booked their national speakers.
“When we do it, we would be honored if you would come as our guests and see what is happening in the beekeeping world in the United States,” Spencer said. “West Virginia is fortunate it has one of the strongest state beekeeping associations and organizations in the country.”
They are working on getting hotel information together to send out to the participants and speakers, Spencer said, adding they will be booking rooms soon.
The local association is working on getting Parkersburg named as a Bee City USA. They host school education events and more.
“This show will also generate a lot of excitement,” Spencer said.
Couch said the commission wanted the Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers Association to go before the city councils of Parkersburg, Vienna and Williamstown to ask for support as well. Once the commission gets an understanding of what the other groups will contribute will help them determine what to contribute.
“It is exciting,” Couch said. “We are waiting to see what (the cities in the county) will donate so we can help and we will match what they give.”
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