July Potluck Picnic
Sunday, July 14th from Noon to 3 PM
Mt. Vernon's Hillcrest Park

Please join us at the  the SVBA annual potluck and family picnic at Mt. Vernon's Hillcrest Park in the picnic area at the Gazebo. We will set up at noon and be enjoy the picnic until 3 PM. The SVBA will provide the grilled burgers and hot dogs with the fixin's, but everything else will be potluck contributions. The picnic is a summer break for us from our monthly meeting schedule, so we can relax while the bees are working hard.

Bring...

• A favorite summer picnic dish along with a big appetite 
• Your beekeeping questions, quandaries, and quagmires to an informal Q&A chat with Dawn Beck

Get...

• Official glass bottles that you will need for your open honey class entries for next month's Skagit County Fair from Susan DeLawter
• Another chance to sign up with Rob Johnson to help staff the SVBA booth at the Fair
• A great time talking with fellow Skagit Valley beekeepers, from newbees to oldbees

For his many years of contributions to the SVBA, Rob Johnson gained well-deserved recognition with a special award at last month's meeting. SVBA President Brett DeLawter expressed the gratitude of all of those who have benefitted from his support for the beekeeping community and from his unique capacity to teach, inform, and inspire.

Rob has been our been the center of our participation in the Skagit County Fair as the Superintendent of our exhibit - lassoing volunteers, coordinating with the Fair organization, and being an inspiring bee explainer to thousands of visitors to our booth during long stints. 
 
He became an SVBA Board Member in 2015, and subsequently served as our Treasurer for many years. He has helped organize and taught the annual beginner beekeepers course, and has freely provided advice and insights that have helped many a new beekeeper to get untracked.

SVBA and the Skagit County Fair
August Events and Opportunities

The Skagit County Fair runs for four days this year, Thursday August 8 to Sunday August 11.  We have a popular booth with awesome displays that we staff with members. Set aside the dates - it is a fantastic old-fashioned county fair - where we display all the entries and the ribbons they earned.

• Sign up and help staff the SVBA Booth. It is a really fun and rewarding experience. Rob Johnson will be at the annual picnic on Sunday and continue to recruit volunteers and hand out tickets to enter the Fair without needing to pay. If you choose to park inside the fair parking lots there is a charge, but you can also park away from the fair on streets with no charge. You can also call Rob at 360-770-6170.
• Help Heather set up the booth - Board member Heather Oates is the maestro of the booth preparation, which was awarded as the best exhibit at last year's Fair. This year's booth theme will be the "Waggle Dance". There will be a set up session beginning at noon on Sunday, August the 4th in Barn D, and she can use lots of help. You can sign up with Heather at the July potluck picnic, or contact your editor here.
• Pre-Fair SVBA Meeting and Set-up Day, noon on Sunday, August 4th at Barn D - We will have a very brief meeting at fair before rolling up our sleeves and completing the exhibit. Join us if you can! There is no charge on the set-up day.

• Enter the Open Honey Class Judging Event - The honey judging event was a great success last year, and we hope that you will participate this year. The rules and categories are all described on the Skagit County Fair website and you can access them by clicking here: Honey Judging Rules and Information. Susan DeLawter has provided excellent coaching for those new to participating, and a few of her tips are included in our description of her June talk on the topic under "Recappings", below in this issue.
• Drop off your entries for the Honey Judging Event - If it is convenient for you, you can drop off your entries on Sunday, August 4th at noon at our booth. Otherwise, the official entry period is on August  6th, from 4-7 for open honey classes. Remember, you have to drop off the entry in person, and you can pay the entry fee and get your entry number assigned when you arrive.

There are lots of activities focusing on the colonies at the SVBA Apiary which is in a field behind the Terramar Brewery in Bow. The website has a complete list of the activities at https://skagitvalleybeekeepers.org 

Hive-side days at the Apiary
Every Wednesday in July, 10 AM to Noon

Regular hive maintenance and an educational opportunity coincide every Wednesday in the late morning at the apiary. Join us as we manage them through the mid-summer season. It's interesting to keep up with the progression of our five colonies.

Apiary Field Day
Sunday, August 18 from 10 AM to Noon

This is the day when we will begin winter prep for our colonies - a hands-on session that you won’t want to miss.

Preparing Your Fair Entries
The pathway to prizes

As our June speaker, Susan DeLawter shared many insights and instructions for the upcoming honey judging event using great images and examples. The core message? Participate! 
 
There are a number of categories, and there should be at least one that fits your style. Categories are available for adults (18 or older), youth (ages 6-11), and youth (ages 12-17). 
 
Classes for entries include:

• Extracted honey in official glass jars, sorted by color: light, light amber, amber, and dark
• Frame honey categorized according to the size and type of frame. This also includes a special category, "heaviest frame" that is judged on weight only
• Cut comb in clear, plastic containers
• Novelty jars, where curious and interesting containers count for points.

There is also the annual Sexton Award open to students up to 18 years of age that submit a poster or presentation to display what they have learned about bees.

Susan and Rob Johnson emphasized that the rules and details about preparing your entries are posted online at the Fair's website under "Exhibits", and can be found using this link: Honey Judging Rules and Information
 

                  Susan sharing tips and advice for honey judging entries

Here are just a few of her tips:

• Fill your jars a few days in advance and let them sit - That gives time for small bubbles to rise and clear the honey.
• Fill the jars to the right level - The honey jars should be filled to a level that is even with the bottom of lid when viewed from the site - near the top, but leaving a small gap so that the honey does not contact the lid. And be careful when you bring them so that they stay flat and the honey doesn't splash up onto the cap.
• Make a clean wrap - For your comb honey, a very simple stand can be assembled, and then wrapped in clear plastic cellophane. Try to make it a clean wrap without lots of layers or folds, so that it shows off you capped comb. 
• Find interesting containers - Past entries have included antique honey jars and interesting shapes that also show off the honey in unique ways. 

         Tools of the trade: containers and the honey color scale used for judging

SVBA Website
Under new managment

Our Treasurer is now Treasurer/Website Manager. Domie Bourgeois has absorbed this new responsibility, following in the footsteps of Les Scott. Many thanks to Les, who managed an important transition and enhancements to the website to keep it up to date. Check out the latest updates at https://skagitvalleybeekeepers.org

What is the technical term for an American honey bee? 
 
It's a USB.

Membership in the SVBA
Join or Renew

Annual membership dues are for a calendar year and there is still plenty of time to renew, join or rejoin your SVBA membership. Annual dues are only $12 (or $13 using our online payment system). It's a high value investment and supports the wide range of programs and events that we offer. The membership form and payment instructions are found on our website or by clicking HERE.

The online payment option can be accessed by clicking HERE.

Skagit Valley Beekeepers Association

Brett DeLawter              President  brettdelawter@gmail.com
Dawn Beck                    Vice President   dawnrunner@live.com
Domie Bourgeois         Treasurer/Website Manager domie.bourgeois@gmail.com
Brenda Crossley          Secretary   brendacrossley49@gmail.com
Steve Cecil                    Newsletter  cecilbees121@gmail.com
Don Johnson.               Board   homebrewtwo@gmail.com
Jim Kohl                        Board
Heather Oates               Board  hoates@gmail.com
Seth Smith.                   Board   seth_smith@live.com
Chris Zimmerman        Board  gocougs87@gmail.com
Matt and Nikki Jones   SVBA Equipment Managers  lamesican@gmail.com