Theresa Coates Ellis, Manassas City Council Member and with the Friends of the Manassas Bee Festival, announced the 3rd Annual Manassas Bee Festival. It will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2023, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Liberia House and Grounds, 8601 Portner Avenue, in Manassas.
The Manassas Bee Festival promises to be an experience coupled with education to continue to bring awareness to save our pollinators, according to a press release by the festival.
The event is free to visitors. Sponsors (many levels), Vendors ($50), Volunteers, and Experts are still being accepted on the website: manassasbeefestival.com.
Visitors are encouraged to dress like a pollinator or with a nature theme for the costume parade and waggle dance. Manassas Ballet Theatre will be there to help you make a costume to join if you don’t already have one.
“Because of the Manassas Bee Festival, and with the support of the City of Manassas residents, committees, leadership, staff, and community stakeholders, organic partnerships have formed, increasing public awareness of the importance of saving our pollinators. Without our pollinators, we will not thrive. We need each other to survive,”
Ellis initiated the Bee City USA (Xerces Society) designation and a resolution for urban beekeeping as a Manassas City Council Member in early 2021. Ellis was trained as a Prince William County Master Gardener years ago, She is a hobby beekeeper with her husband, George Ellis – both members of the Prince William Regional Beekeepers Association offering training and practice.
Both set up a honey bee apiary, and the Scouts donated and installed native bee boxes at Liberia House and Grounds, a Manassas City park with historic native gardens.
With the Bee City USA designation comes the responsibility to raise awareness to plant natives and save our declining pollinators, which is important for our growing food source. The Manassas Bee Festival launched in 2021. Mayor Davis-Younger also signed the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayor’s Monarch Pledge at the event.
The festival continues annually during pollinator week, welcoming thousands of visitors from Northern Virginia and surrounding areas. Many groups visit to share their practices and understand the challenges to save our pollinators, such as reducing pesticide use, habitat destruction, and mites.
UVA Health Prince William Medical Center is one of our top sponsors for our farm animals.
Manassas Garden Club, and GFWC Woman’s Club of Manassas, both with hands-on projects and causes for the community, including our parks.
Both Manassas Rotary and Bull Run Rotary members and local service organizations will be sponsoring and volunteering. Rotary “bee headbands” will be available to wear to show support for the pollinators.
We will be joined by the Prince William Library Manassas City branch, Department of Social Services, Community Service, and Keep Manassas Beautiful, with resources to share.
Visit manassasbeefestival.com to be a sponsor, vendor, volunteer, or expert, or visit.
