By MARY BYRNE
Staff Writer
GREENFIELD — After a year on pause, the community once again celebrated the city’s annual Bee Fest.
The day was marked with the unveiling of six new bee sculptures around town, with the first unveiling taking place at 10:30 a.m. outside the Second Congregational Church. “What a bee-autiful morning at Greenfield Bee Fest: Celebrating Lorenzo Langstroth, and I finally had a chance to see what all the buzz is about!” wrote Mayor Roxann Wedegartner. The newly revealed bee sculptures will be permanent structures throughout town, and as of Saturday, people can take a tour of the bees and listen to information about them — as well as information about Langstroth’s contribution to beekeeping and agriculture — by downloading the Eggtooth Productions app on a cellphone and listening to “Pollinator’s Promenade.”
According to organizer and founder Sandy Thomas, Bee Fest — which was canceled altogether last year due to the pandemic, putting on hold the traditional children’s activities, displays, lectures, honey tastings and pollinator parade — celebrates the contributions of Lorenzo Langstroth, pastor of the Second Congregational Church during the mid-1800s, who is known worldwide as the “father of modern beekeeping.”
The first Bee Fest was held in 2010, with the intention of celebrating the role of the honeybee in sustaining the environment. Earlier in the day, Garden Cinemas on Main Street hosted a free screening of “The Bee Movie,” while a guided art installation was held at Pushkin Gallery.
Elsewhere in the community, other businesses were taking part in the festivities, including Whimsicle Woods at Innovintage Place, where customers were invited to purchase $10 pre-cut and pre-painted kits to build their own beehive birdhouses. Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne