Hayley Cestafe of Naperville is a big fan of natural honey and admitted it took very little to lure her and her family to the fourth annual Honey Fest at Abbey Farms in Aurora on Saturday.
“We love local honey and that’s what brought us here,” Cestafe said as she and her husband began loading up their kids in a stroller. “I put it in my tea, I bake with it sometimes and for the kids, I put it in some of their things too. I know there are health benefits.”
The five-hour Honey Fest at Abbey Farms on Saturday included a chance to buy local honey, educational presentations for kids, music and a large craft show featuring locally-made products.
Eric Mott, director of Abbey Farms, said the goal of the annual event is to showcase local products while connecting with the ongoing national recognition of bees and their fellow pollinators.
“We used to do this in the middle of May as a kickoff to our open season for Abbey Farms. We kind of moved it around this year to coincide with it being National Pollinator Week, which is June 22nd through the 28th,” he said. “We kind of figured National Pollinator Week and Honey Fest, they kind of go hand-in-hand. We tried to figure out something that was unique.”
Beekeepers were on hand Saturday to discuss how honey is produced with others selling local honey.
“There will be people talking about pollinators and how they help us all out and we have about 45 or so vendors selling themed items around bees and pollinators,” Mott said.
One of the demonstrators on hand Saturday was Sugar Grove resident John Feltes, who was offering various flavors of his own Sonny Honey.
“I’ve been a beekeeper for 60 years. I started when I was 12. I grew up on a farm in West Chicago, Sonny Acres, which is well known,” he said. “As a 12-year-old, I used to like to sneak around and explore and I found some equipment up in the rafters. I imagine my grandfather must have been a beekeeper so I had a hobby.”
Mott said he believes that “people are looking for local honey for the health benefits, especially if they can find it. The more local the better.”
Guests were seen getting in the spirit of things as many were wearing bee antennae on the top of their heads like the Starzec family of Naperville.
“We got the bee antennae when we checked in. You don’t have to wear them, but my wife, she’s going to wear it,” Daniel Starzec said while looking at his wife Jorie.
Jorie Starzec of Naperville said she likes to buy local honey “since it builds up your immune system and this seems like a great place to get it.”
The couple’s daughter Stella, 14, said she is a huge fan of bees.
“I love honey so much and I love bees. They are one of my favorite creatures, honestly,” she said.
Barbara Hejna of Minooka came with her grandchildren to Honey Fest.
“We’re here for the honey and the crafts – all of it,” she said. “I use honey in place of sugar and there are the health benefits.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
