NEWSLETTER
Buzz through for fun with the whole hive!
Garden City, NY – Long Island Children's Museum (LICM) will host its annual "Honey Hoopla" event on Saturday, August 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in celebration of National Honeybee Day. This buzz-worthy family event offers visitors the opportunity to discover the vital role honeybees play in our ecosystem through interactive activities, educational presentations, and live theater performances.
"Bee amazed" at this comprehensive celebration that combines learning and entertainment for all ages. The event features:
- Learn about LICM's beekeeping practices and view tools used by beekeepers, including a brood box, honeycomb frames, a smoker and hive tools. Got a bee question? Today's the day to ask!
- Hands-on bee-themed crafts for children and families, including making a birthday candle from natural beeswax and creating your own colorful bee hat
- Satisfy your sweet tooth as your sample different varieties of honey
The highlight of Honey Hoopla will be live theater performances inspired by the book Beezy County Fair: A Bee Tale by Gay Thomas. Shows are scheduled for 11 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2:45 p.m., with a separate ticket required for the performance. The shows will be offered at a special rate, with tickets priced at $5 with Museum admission, $4 for Members and $10 for Theater only.
As a special bonus, each family purchasing theater tickets will receive a complimentary copy of Beezy County Fair: A Bee Tale to take home. Author Gay Thomas will be present throughout the day to sign books for audience members following each performance.
The Long Island Children's Museum is dedicated to educating visitors about the important role honeybees play in our environment and food systems. Through the museum's on-site colonies and "Name a Honeybee" campaign, LICM continues to support conservation efforts while providing hands-on learning opportunities that inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.
"Honey Hoopla represents everything we believe in at Long Island Children's Museum – hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and wonder," said Erika S. Floreska, LICM President. "Through our partnership with local beekeepers and our own on-site hives, children discover how these remarkable insects impact their daily lives, from the food on their tables to the flowers in their gardens. Events like this help us fulfill our mission of connecting children to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration while teaching them to be stewards of our environment."
The Feasts for Beasts gallery features a large indoor observation beehive. The observation hive is housed between large sheets of plexi-glass where visitors can watch the bees hard at work building combs, filling them with honey and tending to the Queen. The space is illuminated by red light to enable viewing with minimal impact on the bees' natural behavior. The bees can come and go at will through a tube connecting the hive to the outside world.
The "Name a Honeybee" campaign allows visitors to directly support the museum's beekeeping and educational initiatives while fostering a personal connection to these essential pollinators. Join the bees already named in The Hive studio, located behind Feasts for Beasts, including Buzzette, Aunt Bee Bee, Bee-ver, Stinger, Lib-bee, Mr. Honeycomb, Melissa My Cutie Bee, Blossom, Buttercup and many more!
Honey Hoopla is made possible with support from bee lovers and fans of LICM throughout the community.
For more information about Honey Hoopla, to name your honeybee and to purchase theater tickets, visit licm.org/honeyhoopla/.
Museum admission: $18 for adults and children over 1 year old, $16 for seniors, FREE to museum members and children under 1 year old. Carousel rides require separate tickets. For additional information, contact 516-224-5800.
Summer Hours: (July-August) Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About the Long Island Children's Museum (www.licm.org)
The mission of Long Island Children's Museum (LICM) is to connect all our communities' children, and those who care for them, to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration. At LICM, children discover their passions and their relationship to the world we share. The 40,000-square-foot museum serves over 300,000 children and adults annually. The private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, offers museum-based educational programs and cultural experiences, as well as an extensive community outreach program offered in schools, libraries and youth centers across Long Island.
Recognized with several honors, including the National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), LICM is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the gold standard of museum excellence. It is currently the only accredited children's museum in New York State and is one of only 16 accredited children's museums nationwide. LICM has earned 4-stars on Charity Navigator and has Platinum Transparency on Candid.
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Photos
Become a bee advocate at LICM on National Honeybee Day.
Media Contact: Maureen P. Mangan