[Ipsadmin] A user sent a message via the contact form

[admin]

	Loudoun Beekeepers Association
	A user has sent a message using the Contact Us form. Karen Kazmark ( kazmarkk@gmail.com ) said: Hello.  The Hamilton Ruritan Club, a community service organization, would like to know if you have anyone who would be willing to speak to our club at our November meeting, Thursday, November 3.  We have a catered dinner at 7 pm followed by a speaker from about 7:30-8:00 pm.  Speakers speak for about 20 minutes with 10 minutes for Q&A.  All speakers are invited for the dinner.  Speakers are non-paid but well-fed.  Our meeting is at Harmony United Methodist Church at the corner of Old Rt. 7 and Harmony Church Rd. in Hamilton VA.  We would all love to have someone from your group speak to us.  Typical turn-out is about 20-25 people.  If anyone is interested, please contact Karen Kazmark at 703-727-2909 at your earliest convenience, or email kazmarkk@gmail.com.  Thanks very much.   — Loudoun Beekeepers Association
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	Loudoun Beekeepers Association, 1 Beehive Boulevard, Leesburg, Virginia, 20175

[Matt Gaillardetz]

LBA Members - if you are interested in working with Karen (Hamilton Ruritan Club), please contact her directly and update this post.

Thanks!

 

[Bret Fisher]

Sent email to POC listed above offering to speak at their meeting. Will update here when I hear back.

[Bret Fisher]

I spoke with Karen on the phone this afternoon. She said she got the idea of contacting the club for a speaker when she read the article on LoudounNow.com that featured several of our LBA members. A great example of one community outreach effort leading to another. Knowing what piqued her interest also gives me a better idea of how to outline a 20-minute "bee talk." Sadly, given the time of year and weather conditions I'll not likely be taking my Exhibition Hive.

When I'm confident about my knowledge of a subject I'm comfortable speaking in front of a group. I'd encourage any other member considering doing these kind of events to do a "ride along" on some of these. Pretty low-stress, friendly crowd, free food!, and members of our own community. It sounds like this tends to be a little bit more senior crowd, mainly farmers or retired farmers - kindred spirits of beekeepers. I'm looking forward to it. 

[Bret Fisher]

This turned out to be a really fun evening. After enjoying a wonderful meal and chatting with new friends, I began with a PowerPoint slideshow I put together earlier this summer, but that was promptly sidelined when I started answering the many questions the members of the Hamilton Ruritan Club had about bees. It was rewarding to see the looks of fascination on so many faces as I responded to questions about the role of the queen, workers, and drones, and how honey bees contribute to so many aspects of our lives & economy. Many laughs were had, and I was encouraged when I pointed out that I had reached the end of my allotted time, they said, "Keep going, keep going!"

Karen Kazmark also asked if I would be willing to come back and talk to them again next year when I would be able to bring my Observation Hive of live bees. I agreed, of course. A chance to talk about bees with people who want to hear about them? Yeah, baby!

On a technical note, I brought my own laptop, but also had my PowerPoint on a USB flash drive. They had a bigscreen HDTV on the wall, which already had an HDMI cable connected. I was able to plug the HDMI into my laptop and run from there. These are important details to iron out with any of these public outreach venues prior to the event.

Finally, just another plug/upvote/kudos to those who set up and run the LBA website and forums. It's so great that members of the community who are not beekeepers or LBA members can still reach out and connect. I don't have much visibility on what other beekeeping clubs are doing across the country, but joining LBA and getting involved in these forums has not only made me a better beekeeper, but has made me feel more in touch and less isolated as a beekeeper. Getting new members and those taking our beekeeping classes to get involved in the forums ought to be a "foot stomping" point in the classes.

[Matt Gaillardetz]

Great report, Bret! Sounds like a great evening was had by all! Many thanks for educating the community and promoting the honeybee!