Dear Texas Beekeepers,

Wow, what a busy time this is for everyone! Since my last article I’ve attended promotions in six states!

On my tour, I was first honored to attend the Heartland Apiculture Society’s Convention, which was held at Marshall University in Huntington, WV. I spent several days there meeting different people in the industry and giving cooking demos. The Indiana Honey Queen and Princess assisted me in the cooking demos. Do you recall the movie “We Are Marshall”?

My next stop was in Ohio at the A.I. Root Candle Company. During my stay there, I gave out honey samples at the store. I also helped run a booth at the farmers market in the town square on a Saturday and read to a group of children at a reading event. One of the unique things about this event was the different varieties of honey (Buckwheat, Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Clover, Raw and Unfiltered) that I was handing out for people to sample. And to see the look that appears on a person’s face as they realize for the first time that not all honeys taste the same (Imagine That!).

The next promotion I attended was the Clark County Fair in Washington State. There I did many things from judging honey, cheesecake, goat’s cheese and pretty babies, to working the Bee Barn, to standing up on stage every night addressing a crowd of many hundreds to several thousands before the entertainer of the evening sang. I also was blessed to receive a spot on the morning news at 5:45 am the first morning of the Fair, as well as being in several newspapers. Thank you to my hosts, John and Mary Ann Morrison.

The Williamson County Area Beekeepers Association awarded the Ed Wolfe–Robert Bost Memorial Scholarships for 2008 at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening, March 25th. This year’s recipients were eleven–year–old Caleb Jones, from Austin, Texas; eleven–year–old Joseph Clarkson, from rural Burnet, Texas and eleven–year–old twins, Juliette and Jessica Martin of Andice, Texas. The youngsters received their wood–ware and protective gear as part of the scholarship. They assembled their bee box and frames at the meeting with assistance from club members. They will receive their package of bees the third weekend in April.

At the same meeting, the prior year’s recipients were recognized for their year–long commitment to the program, and each received a framed Certificate of Achievement for their accomplishment. Recognized was twelve–year–old Matthew Kohn for Florence, Texas; twelve–year–old Michael Tutor from Burnet, Texas; fifteen–year–old Michael Holman from Thrall, Texas; sixteen–year–old Emily Tuuk and eighteen–year–old Evan Tuuk from Austin; Texas. Fourteen–year–old Noah Hartley from Adamsville, Texas was not present. The certificates were presented by Williamson County Area Honey Queen, Meghan Cantlon of Marble Falls, Texas. WCABA President, Elizabeth Exley officiated the recognition ceremony.

We are very proud of the success of this program and the young people who have completed it (85 to date), and we acknowledge the leadership and dedication to youth development of the individuals for whom the program is named. For more information on the program, visit our website at www.wcaba.org.