Rep. Mike Cameron with the LaFayette Rotary Club
photo by Earl Freudenberg
The annual Honeybee Festival took place Saturday in downtown LaFayette, Ga., known as the Queen City of the Highlands.
The Walker County Sheriff’s Office said it was hard to find a parking place within a mile of the the historic square. The sheriff’s office said there’s no way of determining an exact head count but, because of the beautiful weather, the total number of people attending could exceed 50,000.
Georgia State Rep. Mike Cameron was on hand to visit with guests when the festival opened at 8 o’clock. The District 1 lawmaker said, “I look forward to this time each year, it’s one of the top festivals in Georgia; guests come from all over to enjoy the fun."
Officials said, “Honeybees must be preserved and that’s the purpose of this event.” Free demonstrations and lectures took place throughout the day.
Former Chattanooga City Court Judge Russell Bean and his family have been coming to the Honeybee Festival since it started in 2007. Judge Bean said, “My mother, (Eloise Nash Bean) and her family have deep roots in LaFayette. My grandfather, T.J. Nash, operated a newsstand on the downtown square for many years. My family now gathers each year under a large shade tree near the historic Marsh House; some of us stay until the festival is over. We visit with each other and see so many friends of the Nash Family.”
The daylong festival was free to the public and included local musicians and hundreds of vendors including all types of food, unique arts and crafters.