PA Farm Show Information
The 2024 PA Farm Show was January 6 - 13 at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania Farm Show is the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers' Association's showcase annual event and the primary source of fund raising for the Pennsylvania Honey Queen Program.
2024 Farm Show Volunteer information
The 2024 PA Farm Show is right around the corner, and we need volunteers for the 3 venues that the PSBA maintains, namely the Learning Center, the Market Place, and the Honey Waffle and Ice Cream Stand. The show is scheduled for Saturday, January 6th to Saturday, January 13th. Please consider volunteering some of your time at any or all the venues to support beekeeping in PA. Here are the descriptions of what the volunteers do at each venue:
Learning Center: The learning center is in a prime location near the famous butter sculpture and gets lots of foot traffic from attendees. There are 2 observation hives stationed there with screened-in “flying cages” for the bees and there are tables with lots of literature on beekeeping basics, vendor catalogs, PA equipment and bee suppliers, and beginning beekeeping courses that are being offered around the state. Volunteers will be talking to show attendees and answering their questions about bees and beekeeping and helping lots of kids find the queen in the observation hives. There is no “selling” going on in the learning center so no money handling…just talking bees with the public. If you enjoy talking about beekeeping, this is the place for you. Most of the people that you will speak with know very little about bees and beekeeping. So, first year beekeepers to those with seventy years of experience are encouraged to volunteer. Managers are Charlie Vorisek (814) 350-0662 or vbeefarm@windstream.net and Stan Poleshuk (717) 433-2830 or spoleshuk285@comcast.com.
Learning Center on-line signup: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508044BADAB2AA1FF2-2019
Market Place: Beekeepers from all around the state sell their honey or other hive products at wholesale prices to the PSBA and the PSBA maintains a honey Market Place booth where we sell the products to show attendees at retail pricing. The revenues generated by the marketplace support the PA Honey Queen program and her travels around the state and any other beekeeping promotions that the PSBA conducts. Volunteers in the Market Place are helping customers find their preferred honey or candles or lip balms, etc. and then “checking them out” by taking money or credit card payments. All the product prices are marked. Manager is Carleen Vorisek (814) 571-5036 or gdrcarleen@yahoo.com.
Marketplace on-line signup:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DAEA72FA1F4CF8-44336453-farm/106960096#/
Honey Waffle and Ice Cream Stand: The PSBA has several ice cream manufacturers that add honey to their ice cream just for us to sell at the Farm Show food court. In addition, we mix honey into standard waffle batter and cook them right in the stand to put together a “waffles and ice cream” combination that is very popular with show attendees. The Ice Cream Stand needs quite a few volunteers, especially at peak mealtimes (lunch and dinner primarily) to interface with customers and take their payments (cash or credit), to dip ice cream and to cook the waffles. So, volunteers have a choice of doing some food handling in accordance with safe food handling practices or handling money and making change, etc. Once again, the revenues generated in the stand support the PA Honey queen program. Managers are Steve Finke (610) 737-7676 or steve@meadowviewbees.com and Fern Stiffler (814) 873-1891 or fernbemis@gmail.com.
Ice Cream Stand on-line signup:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DAEA72FA1F4CF8-44337014-farm/106960096#/
In general, all the venues offer free parking passes to anyone that volunteers and the days are typically broken up into “shifts”. All three venues have on-line signups where volunteers can pick their preferred times to work and then perhaps enjoy the Farm Show for the remainder of the day. Several of the venues also offer hotel reimbursements if you drive over 2 hours and work evening shifts and/or shifts over multiple days. Please consider volunteering for one or more venues to spread the challenge around. You can also contact the venue managers if you have questions or to sign up. Get a group together from your club or your neighborhood to make it a fun trip!
PSBA Farm Show Committee
Fern Stiffler
Steve Fink
Carleen Vorisek
Justin Dobrowolsky
Charlie Vorisek
Gary Carns
PSBA 2022 Farm Show Pictures
The 2021 Farm Show was a virtual event. Previous years Farm Show Photos have been archived.
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