The smells of honey and harmony were present at the third annual Honey Festival, hosted by the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild, at the Wagner Free Institute of Science located on Montgomery Avenue near Main Campus.
Kicking off on Friday, Sept. 7, the festival provided a chance for Philadelphians who have an interest in beekeeping and the process of producing honey, to attend events at the festival and learn the ins and outs of bees.
“It really began about three years ago with the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild — and it’s sort of the brainchild of Suzanne Matlock, who is the vice president of the Guild — and its main goal is to inform people about beekeeping and help people understand how important bees are to pollinating and our food,” Abby Sullivan, program coordinator at the Wagner Institute and event organizer.
“It’s about promoting bees and honey, to promote local beekeepers that are selling their honey,” Sullivan added. “There [are] actually a lot of benefits to eating local honey.”
The festival provides opportunities for any type of individual, whether he or she is a professional beekeeper, a novice in the honey game or a student wanting to learn.
Documentaries were shown in the Wagner auditorium centered around beekeeping and its history. Discussions were held on the honey industry and workshops were provided for younger members of the community on bees and their ecosystem within the hive. Attendees could sample honey and learn how to make their own.
The festival wasn’t limited to the Wagner Institute. On Sept. 8, the festival moved to the Wyck Historic House and Garden and closed at Bartram’s Garden on Sunday, Sept. 9. More historical lectures and honey demonstrations were held at these venues.
Indira Jimenez can be reached at indira.jimenez@temple.edu.
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