PROCTORSVILLE, Vt. – It was 11 years ago when four friends, Julie-Lynn and Mike Wood, and Jess and Craig Goodman, held the first Vermont Golden Honey Festival at the Golden Stage Inn in Proctorsville. The Woods own the inn, and the Goodmans are the proprietors of Goodman’s American Pie in Ludlow. They were on-hand, serving their signature festival pie, the Honey Apple Wood-fired Pizza, cooked in their converted 1940s tow truck-beehive pizza oven.
The theme, as always, was a celebration of the honeybee, and most of the 25 vendors in attendance sold something bee inspired. There were colorful honey-bee print fabrics, crafts, beeswax candles, balms, soaps, mead, and honey gin.
Bee expert and enthusiast Cliff Sunflower and his wife Lois wore matching, bright yellow T-shirts illustrated with buzzing bees. The Sunflowers are parents to Burleigh Sunflower, who, along with his wife Janessa, own Erskine’s Grain and Garden in Chester. A feed store and home and garden supply shop, Erskine’s carries bees and beekeeping supplies. Burleigh is a beekeeper himself, with 30 years of experience, and his father Cliff is a certified master beekeeper.
Cliff and Lois have recently joined their family in Vermont as resident bee consultants. The Sunflowers offer Welcome to Beekeeping workshops in the spring and summer, with a “bonus date” added this year, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., at Burleigh’s Apiary at Treehog Farm in Chester.
Other festival artisans included Wooly Bear Soaps from Mount Holly, Green Mountain Backyard, Ted’s Wicked BBQ Sauces, and Peter’s Folly Farm, honey makers out of Castleton. Pottery from Mason House Pottery in Cavendish was on display, as were jewelry designs by Miranda Kae. In addition to Goodman’s pizza, the Hangry Hogg food trailer was dishing out southern barbecue, and The Spicy Spoke served a fresh, farm-to-table menu.
There were many opportunities to pick up tips or instruction on beekeeping from the near dozen beekeepers set up. In addition to Erskine’s were booths from the Vermont Beekeepers Association, Windham County Beekeepers, and Winter View Farm in Springfield, among others.
Musicians Sammy Blanchette and Tom Davidson each performed during the day, playing familiar songs for the estimated 800 attendees.
The beekeeping community looks forward to the festival each year. Voted among the top 10 fall events by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce, the festival continues to grow in popularity, and offers an educational opportunity to learn about bees and honey making, as well as a chance to have fun, and mingle with others who are bee-curious.