Pennsylvania Honey Queen visits Uniontown
?The second-floor meeting room of the Uniontown Public Library buzzed Monday afternoon with the sounds of children listening to a presentation by 2011 Pennsylvania Honey Queen Alyssa Fine of Monongahela.
Fine, whose reign began last November, has been touring the state to talk about the honey bee, an amazing animal.
鈥淭he queen bee is the mommy bee. All the other bees are her children. They are brothers and sisters,鈥� Fine told the children. 鈥淭he queen will lay up to 3,000 eggs every day. Imagine if your mommy brought you home 3,000 brothers and sisters every day.鈥�
The children reacted with 鈥淲ows鈥� and 鈥淥ohs鈥� as Fine held up educational photographs of the queen, drone and worker bees and gave them interesting bee facts such as bees never sleep, explained the different jobs the bees have and told them what takes place inside a hive.
When she showed off a photo of a bee larvae in its developmental stage, the children responded loudly with 鈥淓wwws!鈥�
Fine told them, 鈥淕et it out. Get it out,鈥� and then moved on to talk about what a beekeeper does, the different types of honey and how bees are a significant factor in many more products than honey. How? Fine explained that because bees pollinate plants, they affect so much of what people consume. Not only fruits and vegetables, but also dairy products because bees pollinate clover and alfalfa that cows eat and clothing because they pollinate cotton.
鈥淗oneybees are very important for your food and clothes,鈥� she said. 鈥淲ithout honeybees, you鈥檇 be living a different life.鈥�
Fine also talked about a problem called Colony Collapse Disorder that identified the disappearance of honeybees and she asked the children to consider beekeeping as a hobby.
Fine brought honey sticks, which are straws filled with honey that the children could enjoy, and showed off beekeeping equipment as well as offered brochures with honey recipes such as Bee Sweet Banana Bread, Baked Honey Ham and Grilled Portobello Mushroom Salad with Greens, Honey Vinaigrette and Roquefort.
鈥淚 thought she was fantastic, very informative,鈥� said Dianne Moser of Adah. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad she鈥檚 trying to encourage beekeeping.鈥�
Moser brought her granddaughter Grace Fedor, 7, of Allison, who said of the program, 鈥淚 loved it.鈥�
This is the second year that Moser has brought her granddaughter to Uniontown Public Library鈥檚 summer reading program for children.
Moser said, 鈥淕race likes books and all the special programs and gifts. They are wonderful.鈥�
Zackary Clark, 7, of Uniontown, enjoyed the honey stick as much as the information that Fine shared with the children.
He came with his grandmother, Betty Wallace, also of Uniontown, and his sisters Sydney, 9, and Britney, 6.
鈥淲e come to all the programs. They鈥檙e very informative, educational and entertaining,鈥� said Wallace.
Sydney Clark said she thought the program was 鈥渃ool.鈥�
Britney Clark said of the library, 鈥淚 like the books.鈥�
Asked what he thought of the honey queen, Zackary Clark said, 鈥淪he鈥檚 really sweet.鈥�
Fine, 22, is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in agribusiness management and a minor in Spanish. She and her family operate Fine Family Apiary. Fine developed beeswax cosmetics, such as lip balms, and candles, and makes her own cough drops with honey, using a hard tack recipe.
Since traveling around the state to give presentations, Fine has discovered that people are fascinated with bees.
鈥淭he honeybee hive is a miniature society. It鈥檚 like a tiny world in there,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople find out about it and they鈥檙e blown away.鈥�
Upcoming programs on Uniontown Public Library鈥檚 summer schedule, include: Thursday at 1?p.m. 鈥� Magician Doc Dixon returns with his magical bunny, Spot; June 30 at 1 and 2?p.m. 鈥� Work out with Stuffee from the Children鈥檚 Museum of Pittsburgh (children must sign up in advance for this special hands-on event); July 7 at 1?p.m. 鈥� 鈥淟ight Fantastic鈥� is presented by the Carnegie Science Center; July 14 at 1?p.m. 鈥� Stage Right players from Greensburg present 鈥淭ikki Tikki Tembo;鈥� July 20 at 1?p.m. 鈥� Dr. Amy presents birds of prey from the Raptor Rehab and Release Program in West Virginia; July 28 at 1?p.m. 鈥� Nemacolin Woodlands offers its Wild World of Animals live animal show; Aug. 1 at 1?p.m. 鈥� Barbara Pasqua performs Disney Princess songs; and Aug. 4 at 1?p.m. 鈥� 鈥淏ug Mania鈥� is presented by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
The presentations are part of the library鈥檚 summer reading program for children with entertainment and incentives.
Lynne Tharan, library director, said, 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful to the community for all the financial help that makes the summer reading program possible. Without them, we wouldn鈥檛 have a summer program. The best way to keep kids reading is to keep their reading skills fresh during the summer months.鈥�
For more information, call the library at 724-437-1165. For more information on the Pennsylvania Honey Queen or to book the honey queen for an event, contact Rachel Bryson at 717-643-0010 or brysonrachel@yahoo.com.