When the Osceola County Fair rolls around Feb. 14-23, a new exhibit will “bee” all the rage.
The new Honey Bee Community Showcase has been created to raise awareness of the valuable contributions of honey bees to our food supply, to support local beekeeping and to provide opportunities for the community to show their talents.
Osceola residents are encouraged to participate in the new exhibit classes: Honey; Baked foods with honey; Home-crafted beer and mead with honey; Arts and crafts featuring honey bees as the subject; Health/ beauty/home products using beeswax, honey, or propolis; Molded ornamental beeswax candles; Decorated beehive box; and Pollinator garden display board - featuring your real-life garden.
You don’t have to be a beekeeper to participate in this exhibition. Everyone is invited to enter home-crafted items in this new showcase. Join in celebrating honey bees and community creativity at the Honey Bee Community Showcase.
Managed honey bee colonies from Florida pollinate many local food crops like watermelon, blueberries and citrus, and are also shipped around the U.S. to pollinate crops like almonds. Florida beekeepers produce unique honey varietals from plants including gallberry, saw palmetto, and tupelo trees. Beekeepers also sell bee colonies, beeswax, and services like bee colony removal. Florida’s commercial beekeeping operations generate an estimated $90 million in revenue yearly.
Community partners supporting this new showcase include UF IFAS Extension, Kissimmee Valley Beekeepers Association, The Home Brew Store, 3Beez Honey Farm, and the Florida Native Plant Society-Pine Lily Chapter.
The deadline to register your items for the Showcase is January 26, 2025. See show rules at: https://tinyurl.com/ HoneyBeeShowcase/.
