By Rick Schanz

Images courtesy of Barry Conrad of Conrad Hive & Honey and the Lithopolis Honeyfest

 

One of a few honey festivals in the nation, and the only one in Ohio, the 4th annual Lithopolis Honeyfest on September 11 brings awareness to National Honey Month with all kinds of fun and visitor-orientated activities. The Honeyfest takes place at the beautiful Wagnalls Memorial building and grounds, 20 minutes southeast of Columbus, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To sweeten the pot, the event is free to all. The event’s purpose is to encourage people to learn about bees, while enjoying bees’ by-products.

The concept of a honey festival took off after “Bee Man,” Arnold Crabtree, suggested the idea to Ginger Brenning, the chair of Honeyfest. After the farmer’s market in Lithopolis was discontinued after three years, she wanted to start something similar. A year after the market shutdown, Brenning, who is a self-proclaimed honey lover, was able to start the first Honeyfest with some help and motivation.

“Honeybees are in peril,” Brenning says, “It is my hope that the festival shows people how valuable bees are, so that more people support them.” She added that during the three years she has attended the festival, she has learned much about bees, and continues to learn and be fascinated by them.

Without Crabtree, Brenning admits the festival would lose some luster.

Crabtree was the only honey vendor at the farmer’s market, now he is one of many bee related attractions at Honeyfest. However, Crabtree remains at the center of the festival by displaying his curious bee beard twice during the festival. To get his beard to stick, Crabtree employs a smoke puffer to move the bees around, all while remaining calm, cool and collected.

“Believe it or not, we haven’t had one instance of a visitor being stung while at the festival,” Brenning says.

Other attractions of the festival will include live music by Luxury Brown, Swing’s the Thing Big Band, Dwight Lenox & The Lenox Avenue Express, a delicious honey cook-off and sale, fresh honey tasting, kids crafts, honey extracting and educational displays by bee-keeping organizations and The Ohio State University Honey Bee Lab.

The honey cook-off, that takes place in the dining hall, will feature 2010 American Honey Princess Amy Roden. Roden, who will be in Lithopolis as part of her National Honey Month tour, will judge the food creations. The food must include honey as the main sweetener. First, second and third places receive cash awards. The other judges are certified chef, Vicki Chay-Wilkens, and Lithopolis Village Concilmember, Ted Simon.

Staying with the food theme, Honeyfest organizers for the first time will incorporate a mead (honey wine) and wine garden throughout the day’s activities. The garden will allow visitors to taste test and purchase various wines that include honey as an ingredient.

There will also be a photography contest presented by the East Central Ohio Beekeepers Association. The contest will judge photos on the use of combining bees’ natural living with artistic flares. Although the deadline to submit photos has passed, observers are encouraged to vote for their favorite photo at the exhibition. Like the cook-off, those who place will be awarded a cash prize.

To register for the cook-off, to look at last year’s photography contest winners and to read more about the Lithopolis Honeyfest, visit www.LithopolisHoneyfest.com.