Jayne Kinney of Morgantown (originally from Parkersburg) bought some items Saturday from Penney Simonton, owner of The Farm Bunny Honey Company in Elizabeth during the 44th Annual West Virginia State Honey Festival held at City Park in Parkersburg. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

PARKERSBURG — The 44th annual West Virginia State Honey Festival had many people buzzing over the availability of honey and more.

Hundreds of people came to City Park for crafts, local vendors, concessions, live music, inflatables entertainment and other activities on Saturday and Sunday. The festival celebrates the many uses of honey, educates the public about the significance of the honey bee, and offers a diverse range of honey products.

The Wood County Recreation Commission puts on the festival every year. Director Bill Vincent was happy with the turnout as there were a lot of people attending the festival as they had over 40 various craft associations and other vendors as well as live entertainment throughout the festival.

“We have big crowds and beautiful weather,” Vincent said. “We wanted people to be able to come out and be able to spend time with family and friends.”

The regular bee beard demonstration is always popular with many people, organizers said people got the chance to ask questions about bee keeping and what is needed to do it.

Lori Scott and Dustin Estep of Bearsville Bees of Parkersburg were selling jars of honey they produced through their business during the 44th Annual West Virginia State Honey Festival held Saturday and Sunday at Parkersburg City Park. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“We wanted to learn a little bit about honey, be able to taste the honey and talk to the associations as well as be able to see the bee beard demonstration, bee hive demonstration, some craft vendors and more,” Vincent said. “It is all related to honey in West Virginia.”

This year’s event spread out more throughout the park as the former pavilion was torn down last year and the new activity and recreation center is being constructed. The festival was concentrated around the park band shell and horseshoe pits where different vendors and demonstrations were set up. The antique car show, which featured 121 vehicles, was set up on the other side of the construction situated around the Cooper Cabin.

“This is probably the largest car show we have had,” Vincent said. “We were excited that we were still able to do the festival this year with the construction going on.”

Entertainment included local performers Corey Hager, Clint Carsey & The Tracklayers, Insured Sound, the Parkersburg High School Red Wings and Evie Schaffer.

Every dollar raised through the festival and other programs Wood County Recreation organizes goes toward programs that reach thousands of kids in the Mid-Ohio Valley, from free events like the Fishing Derby and Summer Camp to elementary school sports as well as scholarships that allow youth to participate in a variety of programs, organizers said.

An antique car show was part of the West Virginia Honey Festival on Saturday. Many cars and trucks from different eras were a part of the show and brought out a lot of people. This 1953 Ford Crestline Sunliner was brought in by Harlen Colvin of Belpre. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

For local beekeepers, the festival continues to be an important avenue for making contact with potential customers and continuing to educate the public and sell their honey.

“This is a great way for all the local beekeepers to sell their honey,” said Bob Spencer who is the owner of Bearsville Bees in Parkersburg. “All the money the beekeepers are making is going right back into our bees to keep them alive and get them through the winter.”

Spencer likes how the festival is more spread out. In the past there were a lot of people concentrated in the pavilion.

“We are also getting more time to talk to people and do a little more education,” he said.

He believes they have interacted with just as many people, if not more, than in previous years.

Clinton Carsey and the Tracklayers were part of the live music performed at the band shell at Parkersburg City Park Saturday during the 44th Annual West Virginia State Honey Festival. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

The honey that was being offered was “real honey,” Spencer said.

“It is (store-bought) not real honey and it has been ultra processed,” he said. “(What he and others were offering is) pure honey and it has not been processed whatsoever.

“It is so much better for you. The health benefits are tremendous.”

It takes one bee to make 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. Spencer said they run 60 bee colonies and each colony has 20-40,000 bees.

Kelli Smith of the West Central Beekeepers Association, said she likes the new setup at the park as things are spread out a little bit more.

Alayna Byrd of Coolville, Ohio looks at a beehive display from the West Central Beekeepers Association Saturday during the 44rd Annual West Virginia State Honey Festival in City Park. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

“I am loving it,” she said. “I think we have had a great turnout, and it has been very educational for a lot of the kids going around. I think it gives everyone a chance to visit all of the vendors we have here.”

Jayne Kinney of Morgantown came with her husband to participate in the car show. They are originally from Parkersburg and have attended the festival in the past.

“We love City Park and we are checking out the festival,” she said.

She is hoping that once the new center is completed the festival can have an air-conditioned space. However, she believes it will be well attended regardless with the variety of honey and other items being offered.

“I think people will still come out,” Kinney said.

Charlie Metz, with the help of beekeepers, applies the bee beard during a demonstration at the 44th annual West Virginia State Honey Festival in City Park over the past weekend. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

Penney Simonton, owner of The Farm Bunny Honey Company in Elizabeth, said she had attended the festival once before and this was her first time as a vendor. She makes a number of pieces that look like cakes and other desserts all out of beeswax.

“I really enjoy working with honey bees and we went from two hives to 20 hives so that gave me tons of beeswax to work with,” she said. “Since it is a unique product tons of people have stopped to take video and pictures. It has been fun to be able to share my craft. People are surprised that these are made of wax.”

“The items are really popular because they are really unique,” Simonton said. “Everyone really seems to like them.

The Wood County Recreation Commission will be holding The Harvest Moon Festival on Saturday, Sept. 20 at City Park.

Sharon Cozad dances with Arolyn Carsey, 3, Saturday during live music near the Parkersburg City Park band shell during the 44th annual West Virginia State Honey Festival. Carsey’s father, Clinton, was part of the band performing at that moment, Clinton Carsey and the Tracklayers. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

People got to see a number of bees in hives and more prior to the bee beard demonstration Saturday and Sunday during the 44th Annual West Virginia State Honey Festival in City Park. (Photo Provided)