‘BEES & BREW’ A FORT WAYNE NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK EVENT
A community favorite and quickly sold-out event in the past, Southwest Honey Co. brings back ‘Bees & Brew’ as a special Fort Wayne celebration of National Pollinator Week. ‘Bees & Brew’ will be hosted at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory on Friday, June 22 at 6:30pm. This event is an opportunity for adults to enjoy the evening relaxing, socializing and celebrating honey bees (and pollinators) through fun, exciting and hands-on activities.
National Pollinator Week was designated by the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval eleven years ago, which marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations. Pollinator Week has now grown into an international celebration of the valuable ecosystem services provided by bees, birds, butterflies, bats and beetles.
“Our adult event, ‘Bees & Brew’ has been very popular in previous years and we felt holding a special one during National Pollinator Week at the Botanical would further promote the importance of local pollinators in our community. Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we eat; as a community I feel we should be celebrating them and ‘Bees & Brew’ is a fun and interactive way for adults to get involved.” Megan Ryan, Education Director and Co-lead Beekeeper commented about the upcoming event.
The overall mission of the ‘Bees & Brew’ evening is to open the minds of adults in the community with a fun and interactive experience that connects them with the natural environment all while relaxing with friends and enjoying a honey-based adult beverage. ‘Bees & Brew’ features a choice of honey wine or honey beer and a sampling of local honey based hors d’oeuvres with an entertaining presentation about the fascinating world of honey bees, how they help us and how we can help them (and other pollinators); with a few “punny” bee jokes and surprises along the way! Guests also have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the Botanical Conservatory’s gardens, sample raw honey, make DIY beeswax candles (to take home), Q&A with beekeepers; and for the adventurous, suit up for a personalized beekeeping experience with live beehives.
Since this is an extra special ‘Bees & Brew,’ Southwest Honey Co. has also partnered with local artists to bring even more unique and meaningful elements to the evening. Six Fort Wayne artists; Jarrod Tobias, Theopolis Smith (Phresh Laundry), Frank Louis Allen, Alex Hall, Alyssa Deck and Lissa Brown (Tiny Clementine) have volunteered their creative talents to each paint a beehive in support of the cause. Guests will have the opportunity to view the painted hives, meet and greet with the artists, and bid on ‘adopting’ each hive for a year in support of local pollinator education. Each ‘adopted’ hive will be kept in one of Southwest Honey Co.’s sustainable apiaries and comes with some sweet perks for the ‘adopter.’
Each guest will also receive a Southwest Honey Co. beer or wine glass to use for the evening and to take home as a souvenir. The honey beer is brewed locally by Hoppy Gnome, who uses a unique recipe utilizing Southwest Honey Co. honey, which is made by honey bees who live in sustainable Fort Wayne hives.
As an intimate experience, there are currently only 40 tickets available for this ‘Bees & Brew’ on Friday, June 22 at 6:30pm at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory (1100 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne, IN 46802). Guests can join the celebration by pre-registering online and purchasing a ‘Bees & Brew’ ticket ($75.00 per attendee) online at: www.southwesthoney.com
Proceeds go towards supporting the mission of creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, promoting awareness of their population decline and educating the public on ways they can help through pollinator education programs in the community. Since Southwest Honey Co. began their efforts just two years ago, they’ve personally touched the lives of over 1,600 children and adults through their unique educational programs, and currently care for 50 hives in sustainable areas including organic farms and naturally preserved properties around Fort Wayne.
Southwest Honey Co.
Through the support of volunteers, Southwest Honey Co. cares for over 50 hives in sustainable areas including organic farms and naturally preserved properties around Fort Wayne, Indiana. More than just beekeepers, the conservation organization is dedicated to creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, promoting awareness of their population decline and educating the public on ways they can help through pollinator education programs in the community. Renowned for their unique pollinator educational programs for children and adults, the organization has been featured in over 45 local and national media outlets over the past 2 years. Southwest Honey Co.’s efforts are funded through the support of corporate sponsorships, private donations and customer purchases of their locally made products. More: southwesthoney.com/
Pollinator Partnership (National Pollinator Week)
National Pollinator Week has been designated June 18-24, 2018. This week was initiated and is managed by The Pollinator Partnership. The Pollinator Partnership’s mission is to promote the health of pollinators, critical to food and ecosystems, through conservation, education, and research. Signature initiatives include the NAPPC (North American Pollinator Protection Campaign), National Pollinator Week, and the Ecoregional Planting Guides. More: pollinator.org/
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