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.

I then headed to Indiana for their State Fair. While there, I did a variety of things from doing live honey extraction demos and selling honey at the honey booth (Clover and Spearmint) to dipping and selling candles at the candle booth. While in Indiana, I was able to do a live radio interview at the Fair assisted again by the Indiana Honey Queen and Princess, Tamara Truax, and Sheila Cole.

Next I made a quick visit to Kansas City to do a promotion with Good Natured Family Farms. The promotion was at the Hen House Market, an upscale grocery store. The most memorable thing about this was how we helped people sample honey. We laid out a capped frame and using a sample spoon, they ate the honey off the frame, wax and all! Most people loved it!

And last, but not least, I was able to do a promotion in my home area for the City of Plano. This promotion was a simple health and honey talk for city employees; however, most of the attendees by the the end of the talk were interested in starting beekeeping! Also, the city filmed the talk so they could place it on a website for the many people who could not attend. Many thanks to Jennie Kornfield for setting this up.

I would love to come to an event in your area. I am available for interviews, personal appearances and beekeeping presentations. To arrange a visit from me or the American Honey Princess, Rachel Bryson, please contact Shirley Acevedo via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for events scheduled in Texas.

See you at the TBA Convention in Plano on November 6, 7, 8!

Rachael Seida
2008 American Honey Queen
2007/2008 Texas Honey Queen