You can pet bees, tag monarchs at free ICT Bee Fest this weekend
Tiny insects will play a big part in Saturday’s ICT Bee Fest.
Billed as “the finest native plant and pollinator event in Kansas,” the 2nd Annual ICT Bee Fest — being held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the Mid-America All-Indian Museum — will feature monarch-tagging activities and a bumblebee petting zoo.
“Bee Fest is a celebration of native pollinators and the native plants they depend on — and as such, we have educational and fun-based things for people to do,” said Nicole Brown, founder of Grassland Groupies, the primary organizer of the free event.
Last year, when about 500 people attended the first ICT Bee Fest, one of the most popular events was the bumblebee petting zoo. Brown expects it will be a repeat festival favorite. Participants can put their hand into a mesh tent to touch one of the male, stinger-free bees inside. Two tents will be set up for that activity.
In a butterfly house, participants can carefully attach customized stickers to the wings of monarch butterflies that are starting their migration south to Mexico, Brown said.
Each sticker, provided by the Monarch Watch organization, has a unique code that can be scanned to track the butterfly’s migration. The sticker has the tagging date so that their travel time can be calculated, along with other information.
At the end of ICT Bee Fest, the monarchs will be released.
Other activities include a seed giveaway, a soil tunnel display by the Kansas Association of Conservation Districts, bee house building and learning how to start a native plant garden. Native plants can be purchased at the ICT Bee Fest from local growers and vendors.
ICT Bee Fest, which is supported by the Bee City Wichita committee, is part of Wichita’s commitment to its Bee City designation from the national nonprofit Bee City USA, which was established by the Xerces Society to promote and encourage pollinator conservation. Wichita became one of 220 Bee City USA affiliates, and the only one in Kansas, in 2023, according to the Bee City USA website.
Primary event parking is in a parking lot across the Arkansas River from the Mid-America All-Indian Museum, near Exploration Place. After parking, festivalgoers can walk across the bridge to the museum grounds for ICT Bee Fest. The small parking lot at the Mid-American All-Indian Museum will be limited to those who have mobility challenges.
2nd Annual ICT Bee Fest
When: 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21
Where: grounds of the Mid-American All-Indian Center, 650 N. Seneca. The primary event parking is a parking lot near Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean; cross the pedestrian bridge across the Arkansas River to access the grounds.
Admission: Free
More information: grasslandgroupies.org/ict-bee-fest
