A beekeepers group asked Wood County commissioners for money Monday to help stage a statewide conference in Parkersburg in early 2027.
Bob Spencer, who co-owns the Parkersburg apiary Bearsville Bees and represents the Mid-Ohio Valley Beekeepers Association, told the commission the group has reserved the Grand Pointe venue for the West Virginia State Beekeepers Association conference on Feb. 18-19, 2027. Vendors and travelers from outside the area could arrive up to two days earlier, he said.
Spencer said attendance would be limited to 300, with beekeepers expected from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He estimated about 70% of those attending, more than 200 people, would book hotel rooms, which he described as a conservative $96,000 economic impact. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit also anticipates spending $25,000 to $30,000 of its own money on the event, according to Spencer.
He said the conference will happen either way, but a county contribution could help offset costs. Commission President Blair Couch said the panel would consider the request after learning what Parkersburg and Vienna might pledge.
Spencer also described two related efforts: seeking Bee City USA designation for Vienna and Parkersburg, which he said would give Wood County the state's first full slate of certified major municipalities, and a proposed community apiary on Gihon Road at the Department of Agriculture's former farmers market site, which he said the state agriculture commissioner has agreed to pursue. Williamstown already holds that designation.