The nonprofit, Rockwood Park Backyard Beekeepers Association (RPBBA) will host the eighth annual Honey Bee Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 24, at the Rockwood Park Nature Center. The festival will include Buzz Talks on a wide range of bee-related topics.
      Visitors can ask questions of expert beekeepers and view displays of easy-to-grow native plants and different styles of bee hives. New this year are two different ways to safely observe actual working honeybee colonies. There will also be honey for sale, face painting, storytelling, an activity table and the Drone Petting Zoo featuring a fuzzy, stinger-free bee.

      RPBBA President Paul Edens, says, “This is a fun environment for the entire community, from those with no knowledge of the intense challenges facing the honey bee to those thinking about starting a backyard hive to experienced beekeepers. To ‘bee smart’ is all about the simple choices each of us make each day—what chemicals we use in our yards, what kinds of trees and plants we grow and even what food we shop for can impact the lives of honey bees and other pollinators.”

Location: 3401 Courthouse Rd. For more information, call 804-404-2329 or visit RockwoodBeekeepers.com.