by Vi Bourns

  Kellie Lenamond was crowned 2009 ETBA Honey Queen by 2004 ETBA Honey Queen, Connie Collins on Feb. 5th 2009 at TJC West Campus in Tyler.
     In November 2009, she was selected as runner up for Texas Honey Queen at the Texas Beekeepers Association Annual Convention held at the Holiday Inn Select on South Broadway in Tyler. 
     Queen Kellie was a busy “little bee” in 2009 spreading the word that the honey bee and pure natural honey are very important to man from many different aspects including pollination, preservation of the honey bee and their  importance to our health, diet and beauty. She discussed these topics with 18 different groups in the East Texas area, including Longview High School’s Forrest Awareness at Eastman Nature Center; Bruce Miller Nursery in Edgewood; the East Texas Fair in Tyler and with school children.
     Kellie gave cooking demonstrations and shared her samples with the groups including several Master Gardening Clubs, 4-H groups, church groups and at the Texas State Fair in Dallas.
     She attended meetings and gave reports to the ETBA local club and Texas Beekeepers Association at the Delegates Meeting in Round Rock.
     Some of her appearances were covered by the news media around Texas. Tyler Telegraph’s Feature Editor, Megan McGowan and photographer, Jaime Carrero witnessed first-hand how many bees can be in a hive as they suited up to watch Kellie and instructor, Dick Counts remove a monster beehive from a fifty-five gallon barrel, secure them in frames and put in their permanent home, a beehive. Afterward, they were privileged to taste the  honeycomb and pure natural honey straight from the bees.
She did a telephone interview for “America in the Morning” and “The Jim Bohannon Show” which was heard on a combined total of approximately 500 radio stations. She was contacted by a free lance editor of The Cambridge University Press in New York for an article about beekeeping in Texas. It has gone to press and we are awaiting a copy.
     The year 2010 promises to be a busy one already for Kellie. She will continue working with her bees and spreading public awareness of this amazing insect created by God.
     She will graduate in May and is planning to attend the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky in the fall to prepare for a career as a Physician’s Assistant.

Merry Margaret Holloway, 2010 ETBA Honey Princess

Queen Kellie crowned the new ETBA Honey Princess for 2010, Merry Margaret Holloway on December. 3, 2009.
     Merry Margaret is 14 years old and is the youngest daughter of Mark and Susan Holloway of Flint, Texas.
     She is in the eighth grade at Good Shepherd School where she also attends church and sings in the choir. She has been on the basketball and track team. She will be on the debate team this coming year.
     Her interests are watching her bees from her bedroom window, photography of animals and learning to play the guitar...in that order. She became interested in honey bees this past summer, took a mini-course in beekeeping from Dick Counts, and then purchased two hives. She has registered for the regular beekeeping class by Dick Counts in the spring, joined the East Texas Beekeepers Association and the Texas Beekeepers Association. 
     Her ambition in life is to become a pastry chef, work with her bees and teach others about their importance in our lives.