ROANOKE, Va. – Elmwood Park was abuzz with excitement as thousands of people attended the inaugural Southwest Virginia Bee Festival on Saturday.
The event, celebrating the vital role of bees in our ecosystem, showcased the city’s commitment to its bee-friendly reputation.
The festival, co-hosted by the Roanoke Valley and Botetourt Beekeepers Associations, featured a range of activities designed to educate and entertain attendees. From honey tastings to interactive exhibits, the event offered something for everyone.
Vasilia McCrady, president of the Roanoke Valley Beekeepers Association, emphasized the festival’s educational mission. “Our main goal was to bring awareness to the public about pollinators, especially honeybees and other native pollinators. They play a crucial role in our environment that many people don’t realize,” McCrady said.
Education was central to the festival, with sessions exploring the crucial role bees play in our ecosystem.
Attendees learned that bees are essential not just for honey production, but for a wide range of agricultural products. “They make like everything, if it weren’t for bees, you wouldn’t have your clothes on right now,” one attendee noted.
Among the highlights were activities such as honey tasting and the search for the queen bee, where participants learned to identify her by her longer abdomen and distinctive dot. “You see that there’s none with that dot, and also she has a longer abdomen, and that’s how you know she’s the queen and the dot helps,” explained one of the bee learners.
Families and children enjoyed buzzing around interactive exhibits, discovering fun facts about bees, such as their inability to see the color red.
The festival also coincided with a program by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is accepting applications through September 6th for its beehive distribution program. Selected applicants will receive two beehives, provided they complete education on beekeeping.
The enthusiastic response to this year’s festival has organizers already looking forward to next year’s event.
As Roanoke continues to celebrate its bee-friendly status, the success of the Southwest Virginia Bee Festival underscores the community’s dedication to promoting and preserving these essential pollinators.