Honeybee Festival supports local schools

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ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — There will be something for everyone on Saturday, Dec. 7 when the Central Baldwin Education Foundation hosts its annual Honeybee 5K and 1-mile fun run, followed by the Honeybee Festival at Honeybee Park in Robertsdale.

For the eight straight year the festival will be a fundraiser for the Central Baldwin Education Foundation, which will run its Honeybee 5K and 1-mile run/walk for the 10th straight year.

Traditionally held the first Saturday in October, the festival was rescheduled following the threat of a storm in 2017 to coincide with Robertsdale’s Christmas Parade, which is held the first Saturday in December.

Last year’s festival was moved to the gym at Robertsdale High School because of the threat of severe weather. This year’s festival will be the first in the newly renovated and reopened Honeybee Park.

“We’re excited about where we’ve come from where we started,” said CBEF President Katina Hubbard, stating that the festival has grown from about 20 vendors when the CBEF took over to 75 vendors signed up so far. “We’re still getting calls every day to add vendors, so we’re expecting a great turnout on Saturday.”

In addition to regular vendors, school clubs will also have vendors set up. The U.S. Marines will be at the festival helping the Robertsdale High School Junior ROTC collect toys for this year’s Toys for Tots drive.

There will also be honey vendors, Lite Mix 99 will do a live remote broadcast from the festival from 10 a.m. to noon and the University of Mobile choir will perform from 1 to 3 p.m.

Additional entertainment will include Bruce Smelly, 9 to 10:30 a.m.; Cody Green, 11 to 11:45; Rosinton School choir, 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., and the John Hart Trio, 12:15 to 1:30.

This year’s festival will also feature not one, but two Honeybee Queens, Little Miss Honeybee Caroline Taylor and Young Miss HoneyBee Portia Hollis, and the Queen’s Court, Adalyn Lyles, Audrey O’Conner, Emma Kate Lynn, Jorja Corrino, Lucy Delana Stefskal, Augusta Ray Pepperman and Kinley Reese. Hermecz. The Queens and their court were crowned at the PZK Hall in October.

The Central Baldwin Education Foundation was organized in 2008 to encourage academic excellence in the Central Baldwin area schools by providing funding which is not available through traditional local, state or federal sources.

The Foundation provides opportunities for teachers and staff to develop innovative projects through grants; to invest in programs and enrichment activities that have a positive impact on student success; to encourage a continued interest in and support of public education through a network of businesses, individual and community involvement; and to seek and cultivate funding sources for educational excellence.

CBEF serves the South Baldwin Center for Technology, Robertsdale High School, Central Baldwin Middle School and five feeder elementary schools, including Elsanor, Rosinton, Loxley, Silverhill and Robertsdale.

The Honeybee Festival 5K begins at 8 a.m. with awards presented at 10 a.m. You can register online at cbef08.wixsite.com/cbef/honeybee-festival---5k. Registration and early packet pickup for the run will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7 at the George P. Thames Senior Center, 22651 E. Chicago St. Packet and event T-shirt pick-up will begin at 7:30 with race time set for 8 a.m., followed immediately by the 1-mile walk/run.

Festivities begin with the National Anthem at 7:45 a.m. and presentation of colors 7:50.

Awards will be handed out for first, second and third place, overall male and female finishers, along with overall awards for male and female juniors, masters, grand masters and senior masters. Awards will also be given in 14 age groups for the one-mile run/walk beginning with 0-7 and running through 71-plus.

Race day registration costs $30 for adults (19 and over), $20 for students (19 and under).