NARROWSBURG, NY — Sorry to use that cliché, but it just had to be done. The first Narrowsburg Honey Bee Fest is flying into town on Saturday, October 10. The all-day event celebrates the amazing honey bee and features street vendors, kid’s crafts and much, much more. Read on.

The day kicks off at 10 a.m. with a parade of kids in costume (and adults, too; you might just see your fully grown neighbor walking down the street in a bee costume), stilt walkers from NACL Theatre, fire departments, unique cars, pets and whoever else wants to join in. The day continues with a market from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring a combination of Main Street merchants and regional vendors, with local honey, artisanal cheese and breads, beeswax products, cosmetics, clothing, crafts and more. Children’s arts and crafts will be held on the Main Street deck from 12 noon to 2 p.m. Bee-inspired art shows will be on display at By Delaine, Gerard’s River Grill, Mildred’s Complexity, River Gallery and Maison Bergogne.

Of course, there will be honey. A honey tasting will be held at The Heron restaurant from 1 to 2 p.m., and a mead tasting at Narrowsburg Fine Wine and Spirits from 1 to 4 p.m. Honey wine—”mead”—is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known to man and has made a resurgence in recent years. If you’re curious about this delicious and refreshing wine, stop in for a taste. And there will be a honey ice cream booth at Maison Bergogne (226 Bridge St.), featuring the special creations of Early Bird Cookery sous chef Dayna Halprin. Big Island Bees honey, a four-generation family of beekeepers will be there, all the way from Hawaii.

If plain honey isn’t your thing, honey-inspired dinners will be served at restaurants The Heron and Gerard’s River Grill. At Maison Bergogne, a six-course dinner called “Feast of the Senses: A Sensual Exploration of Food” will be served beginning with TaraMarie Perri, creator of The Mindful Feast™, leading a half-hour of simple exercises designed to awaken the palate and intensify perceptions of color, taste, texture, aroma and sound. The cost is $120.

A big aspect of the Narrowsburg Honey Bee Fest is education. Multiple events will be held throughout the day to inform visitors on the importance of honey bees. A panel discussion at the Tusten Theatre will feature top bee experts from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. They will talk about beekeeping, gardening and the current problems facing bees and other pollinators. Guest speakers include Guillaume Gauthereau, founder of NY Bee Sanctuary; organic beekeeper Chris Harp from Honeybeelives.org; Marina Marchese, beekeeper and author of “The Honey Connoisseur;” and Claire Marin, owner/beekeeper of Catskill Provisions. This event will be moderated by Eric Steinman, editor of Edible Hudson Valley & Catskills magazine. There will also be tours of the Tusten Heritage Community Garden (THCG) located behind the library, and following the parade, the community garden will host an environmental workshop with Ed Wesely about another endangered pollinator insect—the Monarch butterfly. At the same time, children can plant bulbs (donated by Narrowsburg Fine Wines and Spirits) at the garden with volunteers from the Narrowsburg Beautification Group (NBG) and THCG. All are welcome.

Joan Santo, owner of Narrowsburg Fine Wines and Spirits, came up with the idea and organized the event. She was working with the NBG, planting pollinator plants throughout town, and she was so inspired she went to Sullivan Renaissance to learn more about bees. The idea for the Narrowsburg Honey Bee Fest was born. “We have a lot of beekeepers in the community,” she said. Also, the festival is a “good start to fall.” It seems like almost everyone in town jumped at the chance to volunteer, and Santo was helped by beekeeper Charles Wilkins, Martin Higgins and Pamela Mayer to find vendors, organize events and the like. TENTRR, a new company that pairs landowners with campers, signed on as sponsor and will have a tent on display.

The event is designed to be an eco-tourism and economy boost. “People will enjoy the town and come back,” Santo said. She hopes next year will be bigger and better: more than 2,176 people in bee costumes, to break the current Guinness World Record, of course.

For more information, visit www.narrowsburghoneybeefest.com.