GREENFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Downtown Greenfield will be filled with entertainment for the celebration of the Greenfield Bee Fest on Saturday.
The Bee Fest began in 2010 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Second Congregational Church of Greenfield. Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth, a pastor at the church from 1843-48, was an apiarist (beekeeper) and invented the first movable frame beehive in America. In 1853, while living in Greenfield, he wrote a book on beekeeping, The Hive and the Honey-Bee , that is still available and the information is used by beekeepers today.
“The honeybee is such a perfect symbol of our community,” commented Sandy Thomas, founder of Greenfield Bee Fest. “Rachael’s sculptures represent the artistry, innovation, and industry that have long been Greenfield hallmarks, and that were at the heart of Lorenzo Langstroth’s work.”
Events kick off at 9 a.m. with music, children’s activities, bee education, and a free movie at the Garden Cinema.
9 am – 12:15 pm On the lawn of Second Congregational Church, 16 Court Square
- Create your own Flower Hat
- Make air-dried clay beads with an Artspace leader
- Paint a bee mural or poster
- Bee Games
- 11 a.m. Pollinator Parade through the Farmer’s Market and around the Town Common led by Expandable Brass Band (costumes encouraged)
- 11:15 a.m. Bee Pinata
- 11:30 a.m . Lorenzo Langstroth birthday cake
9 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. On the lawn of Second Congregational Church
- Add your artistic touch to a Langstroth Beehive Box, using paints provided. Artists of all abilities are welcome to contribute color and creativity to these hives that will soon be installed at Franklin County apiaries.
- Bee Bazaar. We have curated the most unique, fun, practical, and outrageous bee gifts you’ve ever seen. Something for everyone!
- Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) info table & giveaways
- To Bee or Not to Bee! Write a poem beside the poetry bee sculpture
- FREE pollinator plants courtesy of Pioneer Gardens
- FREE Beeswrap for food leftovers made from beeswax fabric
- Franklin County Beekeepers Association (FCBA) – Find the Queen Bee in a live demonstration hive, and learn about beekeeping from the experts
- Pick up a Bee Promenade map and take your own walking tour of the bee sites around Greenfield
- 9:15-9:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m . New England Woodwind Quartet – popular and familiar songs
- 9:45-10:30 a.m . The Saw and the Fiddles (a real carpenter’s saw, super cool!)
- 10-10:30 a.m . Ask a Bee Expert – Q & A led by FCBA and MDAR
- 10:30-11:15 a.m . Expandable Brass Band
- 11:15-11:30 a.m . Musical performance by students from Twice as Smart
12:30 p.m. Sculpture Unveiling – Walk to the new Fire Station (3 blocks west of the Town Common on Main Street), to meet the newest bee in our hive—Firefighter Bee!
The Greenfield Bee Fest celebrates spring and the importance of bees to agriculture and the environment.
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