Did you know that bees are hard-working partners who help to pollinate one-third of the food we eat? According to the American Beekeeping Federation, bees support farmers by pollinating apples, pears, cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, blueberries, squash, and melons.
Easton Farmers’ Market is celebrating that hard work - and the delicious results - in its annual June Bee Jamboree - 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, June 22.
The event coincides with National Pollinator Week (June 17-23) and puts honey on center stage.
The Buzz
- Folks interested in learning more about beekeeping can visit the Beekeeping Info Tent to ask questions about getting started and sample different varieties in a honey tasting.
- Kids can dress in their bumblebee finest for the day, as guests at the annual June Bee Jamboree Tea Party at 10:30 a.m. ($5 per child).
- Yippee Skippy Puppet Theatre will present a puppet show at 11 a.m. called “Thumbelina and the Honey Bees.”
- Storybook character Bruce the Bear will be on hand at June Bee Jamboree to hand out freebies for the market’s younger visitors.
- Afterward, costumed guests - and pups - will be invited to march in a Bumblebee Parade at 11:30 a.m. around Centre Square.
- Kids who signed up for the Power of Produce (POP Club) can participate in a taste test of kinds of honey pollinated by different plants - from wildflowers to bamboo.
Sign Up for the POP Club
Haven’t signed up for the POP Club yet? Just visit the table to register. Kids earn POP bucks to shop the market for healthy fruits and veggies by participating in healthy activities each week.
Be sure to ask the market’s Blooms & Botanicals vendors — Backyard Growers, Peace Tree Farm, Pheasant Hill Farm, and Holy Cow Farm — for suggestions on bee-friendly plants and flowers that you can add to your home to help improve Pennsylvania’s bee population. Participants in the Easton Compost Program can also scoop up nutrient-rich compost at a giveaway from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. behind the Easton Public Market on Church Street. Just remember to bring a bucket. The Easton Community Gardens program will also be giving away bee-friendly plants at the compost distribution.
Sweet Music and Libations
The Colony Meadery will be selling mead in the Local Libations Tent during the festival. Mud & Maker and Separatist Beer Project will be guest vendors. The market will also feature live music by The Billies from 10 a.m. to noon.
Visit Eastonfarmersmarket.com for a complete list and details of the vendors and producers for the 2019 season. EFM sponsors for 2019 include Capital BlueCross, Easton Hospital, Merchants Bank, The Nurture Nature Center, C.F. Martin & Co., Easton Coach Company, Unity Bank, Moravian Academy, and Jiva Fitness.
