SHELBY — Downtown Shelby was covered in black and yellow Saturday.
The inaugural Shel-Bee Festival opened at the Black Fork Commons Plaza at 11 a.m., attracting a large crowd of attendees as the sun broke through the clouds.
More than 40 vendors set up for business during the six-hour event, each offering bee-related products or incorporating bee-related decor. A few vendors also offered pollinator plants.
Three bands provided live music throughout the day, including Juke Jammers, Southern Rail and Barkdull & Butler. Several food trucks also parked around the plaza.
Large bounce houses were offered for children, along with additional free kids activities, including a scavenger hunt for youngsters. Variations were available for toddlers and older children.
A live hive was available for observation, as well as honey tasting. Cash prizes were awarded to winners of the honey judging and baking competitions.
(This story continues below the following photos, which were taken Saturday afternoon in downtown Shelby during the first-ever Shel-Bee Festival. Credit: Hayden Gray)
Event inspiration
Careen Fleck, owner of The Little Shops of Shelby, organized the new festival, with help from Shelby resident Connie Roub and Richland County’s deputy apiarist Aaron Billheimer, among others.
Earlier this month, Fleck said she wanted to create a new event with a unique identity. She was reminded by Roub that Shelby has been recognized as a Bee City since 2021.
“I was like, ‘That’s it. We should have a bee festival,'” Fleck said previously.
She’s also the president of the Shelby Downtown Business Team, which was the presenter of Saturday’s festival.
Working hard for the downtown business team is beneficial not only to her vendors, but also each local business in the city, Fleck said in May.
“It’s my goal to introduce a new event every year,” she said. “Hopefully we’ll have an event every month.”