If you like to eat, you can thank pollinators for one out of every three bites you take! Join us on June 5 from 10 AM to 12 noon for a family friendly, outdoor event all about starting your own garden and supporting all the important pollinators around us. Pre-registration for these activities is required by completing a form at https://go.uvm.edu/2021bennpollinator or by calling Marsh or Cindy Hudson-Knapp at 802-440-5190. Hosted at the Bennington Recreation Center and Community Garden by UVM Extension Master Gardeners, Bennington County 4-H, and the Bennington Area Makers this event will have four mini workshops for adults and children: Grow Your Own Garden, Make-and-Take Kids Bee Crafting, Honey Bees at Work, and Free Pollinator Plant Give-Away. Park in the Recreation Center parking lot (655 Gage St, Bennington, VT 05201) and walk to the Community Garden on Bradford Street.

Grow Your Own Garden (10:00-10:30 AM) will be geared to adults or families interested in starting their own garden.  UVM Extension Master Gardeners will help introduce basic garden concepts and there will be a chance to use one of seven small plots in the Bennington Community Garden and vegetable starts will be available thanks to the generosity of the Bennington Rotary Club.

Make-and-Take Kids Bee Crafting (10:00 – 11:30 AM) is a chance for youth to bee engaged with pollinator friendly activities while their parents or caregivers attend another session nearby. There will be two levels of crafting available: younger/smaller hands will be making a simple bee puppet for play and exploration while older/more agile hands will be making a wired, electronic “beebot” that buzzes and zooms across flat surfaces. While crafting, 4-H educator, Kimberly Griffin, will lead a discussion about the roles bees and other pollinators play in our food system and how best to protect and support these species. Take home versions of the crafts will also be available for those wanting to make-at-home.

Honey Bees at Work (10:00 – 11:00 AM) will be led by beekeeper and educator, Jeanne Davis, who will be on hand with her traveling beehive to provide an up-close look at the fascinating work of honeybees in their hive.  Kids and adults can learn about beekeeping and how to protect and support these important pollinators.

Free Pollinator Plant Give-Away (10:30 AM – Noon) – Bennington Area Makers in collaboration with Clearbrook Farm and UVM Master Gardeners will be providing pollinator plants for anyone interested in attracting bees and other pollinators to their gardens.  A variety of plant species will be available.

Pre-registration for these activities is required by completing a form at https://go.uvm.edu/2021bennpollinator or by calling Marsh or Cindy Hudson-Knapp at 802-440-5190.  State COVID-19 guidelines will be followed including limiting the number of people gathered, health screening of attendees, wearing facial coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and contact tracing.

Thank you to our hosts, presenters, and sponsors: Bennington Recreation Center, Bennington Community Garden, Bennington Chapter of the UVM Extension Master Gardeners, 4-H of Bennington and Rutland County, Jeanne Davis, GBICS, Bennington Rotary, Clear Brook Farm, Bennington Area Makers, UVM Extension Agricultural Engineering.

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