North Carolina Honey Festival all the buzz in Whiteville over weekend

About 1,000 people stopped in to take in the event

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) – After a two-year hiatus, the North Carolina Honey Festival was all the buzz this weekend in Downtown Whiteville.

The event was a collaboration between Legion & Lewis and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville.

Attendees were welcomed to music, food, and of course honey products.

According to organizers, Whiteville is one of 10 cities in North Carolina to have “Bee City” status and is recognized for environmental and agricultural practices that don’t harm the bee population.

Festival vendor Holly Williamson says her business was profitable.

“When we got here it was pouring rain, we were hesitant on whether or on not to set up, they did have a few vendors back out but we decided to go ahead and stay, and we’ve done pretty good,” Williamson said.

It’s the sixth year for the festival which started out as a Father’s Day gift from the founder of the festival to his dad, Aaron “A.C.” Cutler.

“My father survived prostate cancer and was an even bigger inspiration to people after the he was diagnosed,” he said. “He carried a positive attitude during treatments and doctor visits, and lifted the spirits the people who called to check on him.”

It so happens September is both National Honey Month and Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, the inception of the Honey Festival was a result.

“My father had recently taken up beekeeping to pollinate his fruit trees,” Cutler said.

The mission of the North Carolina Honey Festival is to highlight the importance of bees in the area and celebrate honey, as well as honey products, encourage bee-friendly practices, and promote beekeeping in the area.

Cutler says the festival also serves another purpose.

“It’s extremely important to bring people together, for fellowship, to enjoy something as simple as honey,” he said. “So the more we do this, the more we come together, the better Whiteville, Columbus County and other places can be.”

According to Cutler, nearly 1,000 people stopped by the festival, and some of that crowd made their way to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville.

Aimee Allen who works for the museum said it was a record-setting day for visitors, with about 500 people exploring their depository.