Each May the town of Wewahitchka holds a festival celebrating their liquid gold and local beekeepers. The Tupelo Honey Festival has live music, vendors and of course Tupelo Honey.
Will Oosthuizen of Smiley Honey says the festival gives him a chance to show locals and visitors what makes tupelo honey so special.
“It’s very nice to have the festival so that we can interact with the community,” Oosthuizen says. “It’s very nice to meet with them, chat with them about Tupelo honey and explain our business.”
Phillip Miller keeps bees as a hobby. He was also showing off his honey at the festival.
“For hobbyists like myself, it’s a work of love and I like keeping bees and I like meeting so many nice people,” Miller says.
One of the things that makes Tupelo Honey special is that it can only be made only during a short period, from mid-April to the first weeks of May. That’s because it depends on bees collecting pollen while a specific kind of tree blooms in the area’s swamps.
