If you're thinking about heading over to the California Honey Festival in downtown Woodland on Saturday, June 21, don't.
It's moved to the nearby Yolo County Fairgrounds, located at 1250 East Gum Ave., Woodland. "Plans change, but the fun doesn't," organizers said.
The event, free and open to the public, is set from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine. But it's highly unlikely to "bee" raining. The threat of a downpour postponed the earlier scheduled festival from May 3 to June 21.
It doesn't rain in June, right? Right.
Bees will be "reigning," though. The Sacramento Area Beekeepers' Association plans to showcase their bee observation hive and field questions about the queen bee, drones and worker bees--and scores of questions about how the nation's bees are faring. Commercial honey bee colonies in the United States are facing record-breaking losses, with projected declines of 60 to 70 percent this year.
When the organizers of the California Honey Festival postponed the 2025 event from May 3 to June 21, due to an inclement weather forecast, a mini-celebration took place at The Hive in Woodland, owned by the Amina Harris family.
Harris, retired director/founder of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, co-founded the California Honey Festival with the City of Woodland in 2007, She is known as "The Queen Bee" of her family's business, Z Food Specialty of Woodland, which includes The Hive, California's largest honey and mead-tasting room. She and her family will be at the California Honey Festival, offering "a taste of honey" to the festival goers. They'll also discuss honey varieties--and bees!
Unfortunately, neither the UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) and the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden's "Learning by Leading"--staffed with UC Davis student ambassadors--will be at the California Honey Festival, but they participated in the mini-honey festival that Harris and her family hosted on May 3. It was free and family friendly. (See Bug Squad blog)
So head over to the California Honey Festival on the Yolo County Fairgrounds for music, cooking demonstrations, arts and cratts, honey tasting and more on Saturday, June 21. Enjoy downtown, too, but the festival won't be there.