The Botetourt Farmers Market and Botetourt Beekeepers Association are partnering to host the first official Honey Festival on Saturday, Aug. 20, from 8:30 a.m.-noon. This is known as National Honey Bee Day, or World Honey Bee Day. Activities & Info for that day:
Up to 10 local honey vendors
- Educational – Learn about the importance of bees, named the most important living being on earth, and unfortunately, endangered (Earthwatch Institute, Royal Geographic Society of London, 2019). Observe live honey bee hives in contained observation hives. Learn about how to start beekeeping. Learn what you can do to help bees in your area.
- Kids’ activities – Honey bee, honeycomb stamps, photo booths, guessing jar, seed planting activities
- Raffles to raise money for the Farmers Market and Beekeepers association – a 50/50 raffle, honey-themed gift basket, honey-themed local wreath, and family four-pack of tickets to Layman Family Farms Fall Festival ($80 value)
- T-shirts and stickers for sale: all proceeds go back to the Farmers Market and Beekeepers Association
- Free mead tastings for those over 21 w/ ID, provided by Honeycomb Grove Meadery of Covington.
- Free honey tastings from local honey vendors
- Queen Bee will be posing for pictures, sharing knowledge of bees and act as the honey judge to judge honey samples and choose the best local honey
- Live Music by Shanolan, a professional live music duo who has been playing folk, rock, and Americana for over 20 years.
- Food from Shultz’s Dogs and Donnie D’s Bagels
Sponsors are Tizzone, Taphouse, Sunbelt, Brent Hershey of State Farm, ReMax, Bank of Botetourt, Rockingham Co-Op, and Botetourt County.
