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PARKERSBURG -- Local beekeepers and crafters are hoping to create a buzz this weekend at the 42nd annual West Virginia State Honey Festival at City Park.
There's even more of an emphasis this year on honey and beekeeping, with increased participation by the West Virginia Beekeepers Association, said Bill Vincent, director of Wood County Recreation, which organizes the event.
Activities for all ages are planned, from inflatables for kids to live demonstrations involving bees and honey.
"We're just trying to make it as exciting and fun as possible," Vincent said.
Local beekeeping clubs have been more active in years past than the state association. They were invited to be a part of last year's event and decided to do even more this year to emphasize outreach and education, said Louisa Householder, president of the West Virginia Beekeepers Association.
"The beekeeper population is largely older folks, and so we need to nurture the next generation of beekeepers," she said.
Besides the inflatables, a number of other kid-centered activities are planned, including a candlemaking demonstration, a children's story time and crafts.
The association's state conference is virtual this year, so its annual honey show will be held at the festival. After crafts and products like various forms of honey, pollen, wax and baked items are judged, the exhibits will be open to the public Saturday.
There will be observation hives set up, the popular bee beard demonstration is returning, and State Apiarist Shanda King will use a screened-in setup outside the City Park pavilion to demonstrate the inner workings of a hive, said Bob Spencer, co-owner of local beehive equipment merchant Bearsville Bees.
Spencer said he and other local beekeepers enjoy meeting people and talking about their work. They hope to convey the importance of honeybees to the food chain.
"The best way to do that is get people involved and let people see," Spencer said.
There will also be plenty of honey to sample and buy, and Spencer said there are different tastes depending on where it's made. Locally made honey can have no additives in West Virginia, he said.
"We want people to buy local honey," Spencer said. "You're supporting the local beekeepers by doing that."
More than 65 vendors, an increase from last year, are scheduled to participate, Vincent said, with crafters alongside the bee and honey-centric offerings.
The schedule for the 42nd annual West Virginia State Honey Festival:
Saturday
* 9 a.m. - Antique car show
* 10 a.m. - Children's pageant, main stage
* 11 a.m. - Open hive demonstration, pavilion
* Noon - Insured Sound, main stage; kids' candle-making demo, creamed honey demo, pavilion
* 1 p.m. - Kids' Bee Spinner, honey extraction and equipment demo, pavilion
* 2 p.m. - Division Street, main stage; Bee Beard demo, pavilion
* 3 p.m. - Kids' Story Time, pavilion
* 3:30 p.m. - Williamstown Jackettes, festival grounds
* 4 p.m. - Jack & Davis Reid, main stage; Kids' Mason Bee House, pavilion
* 4:30 p.m. - WVBA Honey & Bake Show awards, Wood County Recreation office, where the show will be set up all day
Sunday
* 11 a.m. - Open hive demonstration, pavilion
* Noon - Kids' candle-making demo, creamed honey demo, pavilion
* 12:30 p.m. - Smith Family Singers, main stage
* 1 p.m. - Kids' Bee Spinner, honey extraction and equipment demo, pavilion
* 1:30 p.m. - Southern Belles, festival grounds
* 2 p.m. - Band of Brothers, main stage; Bee Beard demo, pavilion
* 3 p.m. - Kids' Story Time, pavilion
* 4 p.m. - Sour Mash String Band, main stage; Kids' Mason Bee House, pavilion