The 10th annual Bee Jubilee coming up in Granville County on Saturday, June 27 is the perfect chance to ask all those questions that you’ve been wondering about: Does that beekeeper suit really protect you from stings? Exactly what is a varroa mite? Where can I get some mead?
Christi Henthorn, one of the event planners and organizers, can probably help answer those questions – and more.
The daylong Bee Jubilee will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center in Oxford with plenty of fun, food, info and more.
“We’ve grown so much,” Henthorn told WIZS. “It’s really awesome to think back and see the way we’ve added things and changed things and grown.” Like previous events, the 2026 Bee Jubilee features honey, arts, crafts, bee products and supplies, demonstrations, a live raffle, food trucks and a raffle for free honey for a year.
Late June in the Piedmont is most likely going to be warm, and Henthorn said this year, planners decided to move the sound stage to the northern end of the Expo Center to take advantage of shade provided by a nearby tree line.
Henthorn said the Bee Jubilee simply wouldn’t be possible without help from local beekeepers, who volunteer to put on this labor of love – which includes a fair amount of sweat, too, because, well, it’s June in the Piedmont.
A group of beekeepers is going to set up an ‘Ask the Beekeeper’ workshop for curious participants, she said, and will be available to answer questions from the comfort of their rocking chairs.
Another local bee expert is going to be available to educate the public about how to manage swarms of bees that find their way into unlikely places like buildings and homes.
Last year, people came from as far as several hours away to see what the Bee Jubilee was all about. Thanks to a partnership with the Granville Tourism Department, organizers got a grant for advertising that really paid off – attendance swelled from 2,500 to more than 4,000.
Whether you’re a real bee enthusiast or you just like honey, the Bee Jubilee has something for you, Henthorn said.
Check out the Bee Jubilee at https://granvillecobeekeepers.wildapricot.org/BEE-JUBILEE or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/beejubilee/.
Join the Granville Beekeepers Association, which meets on the first Thursday of the month. Visit https://granvillecobeekeepers.wildapricot.org/ to learn more.
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