Pollination
Pollenation” the home of the Billings Pollination Festival held every June in conjunction with National Pollinator Week, a national celebration of everything that is vital to the pollination of plants and trees. Billings Montana entertains a week-long calendar of activities designed for the education and importance of pollinators in our everyday lives.
National Pollinator Week is an initiative which aims to educate people and create an awareness about the importance of pollinators of all types to ecosystems, our communities, and our daily lives. The flowers we see, the plants we grow, and the food we eat all depend on pollinators for their success. Despite the essential role they play, pollinator populations are declining due to disease, pollution, and loss of suitable habitat. The National Pollinator week celebration serves as a reminder for us to care for these creatures, as they have cared for us. It also provides an opportunity to share knowledge about them within our local communities.
Billings has observed National Pollinator Week since 2018. As urban development increases in the city and the surrounding county, it is important for residents to understand what kind of activities we can implement, or avoid, in order to benefit their wellbeing – and our own!
Pollinator Week Events in Downtown:
Join in the celebration of National Pollinator Week, June 20th – 26th. During this week, you will have the opportunity to go honey tasting, plant trees for the benefit of pollinators, tour local gardens, hear from experts in the field about the role of pollinators in our environment, and learn about local organizations’ efforts to support pollinator populations in Billings.
Thursday, June 23rd:
10:00am – Noon: Library Story Time: Honeybees and Me With Beekeeper Peggy
@ Billings Public Library (510 N. Broadway)
2:00pm: Rebecca Newton-Pollinators and Public Lands
@ Western Heritage Center (2822 Montana Ave)
2:00pm – 4:00pm: Downtown & NPRC Plant Walk
@ The Corner of N. 23rd St & Montana Ave (2224 Montana Ave)
4:00pm – 6:00pm: Honey Tasting
Friday, June 24th:
10:00am – Noon: Meet & Greet American Honey Queen, Stories and Songs
@ Billings Public Library (510 N. Broadway)
2:00pm – 3:00pm: Summer Reading, Pollinators w/Leslie Nelson
@ Billings Public Library (510 N. Broadway)
2:00pm – 4:00pm: Sweet Science of Bees
@ Wise Wonders Science & Discovery Museum (3024 2nd Ave N.)
6:00pm – 7:00pm: The Bee Movie
@ Babcock Theatre (2810 2nd Ave N.)
A special Pollinator Day Festival will be held on Saturday, June 25th from 10:00AM to 4:00PM at the St. Andrew Community Garden at 180 24th Street West to wrap up this week-long event. This Saturday celebration will feature a range of activities the whole family can enjoy, including a tour of the community garden and bee apiary, a make and take craft booth, weed education demonstrations, and presentations on a variety of pollinator related topics. We will also have a special guest appearance from the American Honey Queen!
For a full schedule of events and activities, please check out Pollination’s website https://www.pollenation.org/